The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, reaffirming its support for the Kashmiri people's right to self-determination.
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Foreign ministers and senior officials from the member states of the contact group -- Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Niger -- attended the meeting, according to an OIC statement.
OIC Secretary-General Ismail Ould Cheikch Ahmed reaffirmed the commitment to support the “inalienable” right of the Kashmiri people to self-determination, as a foundation for a “just and lasting” peace in South Asia, in accordance with UNSC resolutions and principles of international law.
In a joint statement, the groups expressed "serious" concern over the "continued detention and denial of bail" of prominent Kashmiri figures including Yasin Malik, Asiya Andrabi, and Shabbir Shah according to Pakistan's Foreign Ministry.
The group expressed solidarity with the government and people of Pakistan and expressed deep concern over the military escalation in the South Asian region in May 2025, including the "unlawful and unwarranted" attacks carried out in various locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
They also stressed the need to exercise maximum restraint and avoid actions that could destabilize the region.
However, India rejected what it called "baseless and factually incorrect references" to Jammu and Kashmir.
“The OIC has no legal standing to comment on a matter which is entirely India’s internal affair,” the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
The entire Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh is an integral and inalienable part of India, and repetition of politically motivated propaganda will not be able to change this reality,” the statement said.
“Repeated support for such motivated narratives only raises serious questions about the credibility of the OIC,” the statement said.
The group welcomed the ceasefire between Pakistan and India following the military escalation and expressed appreciation for "the constructive efforts made by all countries to mediate and bring the two sides together to reach this agreement."
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar highlighted the "ongoing" restrictions on political and civil space in the disputed valley region, as well as "attempts to change its demographic, political and cultural characteristics."
He stated that Jammu and Kashmir remains an internationally recognized disputed issue on the agenda of the UN Security Council.
He also asserted that no domestic law, court ruling, electoral process, or demographic manipulation can supersede the Kashmiri people's inalienable right to self-determination.
The disputed territory has been a major source of conflict between Pakistan and India since 1947.
The two nuclear-armed countries have fought three full-scale wars, two over Kashmir in 1948 and 1965, and the Kargil conflict in 1999.
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