OIC’s special envoy on Kashmir concludes first visit to Pakistan

OIC’s special envoy on Kashmir concludes first visit to Pakistan
OIC Envoy Yousuf-Al-Dobeay and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi during a meeting on March 4 in Islamabad. (Photo courtesy: Foreign Office)
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Updated 08 March 2020
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OIC’s special envoy on Kashmir concludes first visit to Pakistan

OIC’s special envoy on Kashmir concludes first visit to Pakistan
  • Ambassador Al Dobeay met with country’s top leaders during five-day trip
  • Pledged to take all necessary steps to address grievances of people in the disputed region

ISLAMABAD: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Special Envoy for Jammu and Kashmir, Ambassador Yousef M. Al Dobeay, has concluded his five-day visit to Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the Foreign Office said in a statement released on Saturday night.

During the course of his trip, Al Dobeay and his six-member high-profile delegation met with Prime Minister Imran Khan, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and a coterie of other officials.

“During the meetings, the Pakistani leadership appreciated the OIC’s steadfast support for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in the aftermath of India’s unilateral and illegal actions of 5 August 2019,” excerpts from the statement read.

It follows New Delhi’s decision to do away with Kashmir’s autonomous status on August 5 last year, resulting in the bifurcation of the state into two union territories. India’s decision provoked outrage in Pakistan which responded by downgrading diplomatic relations with its neighbor and calling on international allies to take its side.

Addressing those very concerns, the OIC delegation also met with AJK President Masood Khan and Prime Minister Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider where they were apprised of the “dire human rights and humanitarian situation in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.”

“Al Dobeay said that the OIC will take all necessary steps to alleviate the sufferings of the Kashmiris and help resolve the ongoing dispute according to the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” the statement added.

This was Al Dobeay’s first visit to Pakistan after assuming office in May 2019.