BRUSSELS/NEW YORK, (Unib Rashid) – Mrs. Shamim Shawl, senior leader of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APPA), is scheduled to attend the upcoming meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Kashmir Contact Group on September 22nd. The meeting will take place on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

Mrs. Shawl arrived in New York directly from Geneva, where she had been participating in the 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), continuing her international advocacy for the fundamental rights of the Kashmiri people.

During the OIC Contact Group meeting, Mrs. Shawl will provide a comprehensive briefing on the deteriorating human rights situation in Indian-Occupied Kashmir. She intends to apprise the member states of the systemic abuses perpetrated by the Indian government, focusing on the critical issues of:

• Political Repression: The ongoing detention of political leaders and the systematic suppression of democratic voices.
• Human Rights Violations: The alarming rise in arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings.
• Demographic Engineering: The illegal seizure of land and strategic attempts to alter the demographic composition of the region.
• Legal Oppression: The imposition of draconian laws used to criminalize dissent and stifle the aspirations of the local population.

“The international community cannot remain silent while the basic human rights of millions are being trampled upon,” said a spokesperson for Mrs. Shawl. “By engaging with the OIC Contact Group at the UNGA, Mrs. Shawl aims to mobilize diplomatic pressure to ensure that the Kashmir issue is addressed in accordance with international law and UN Security Council resolutions.”

The APHC calls upon the OIC and the United Nations to take immediate and concrete action to hold the Indian administration accountable for these violations and to ensure the protection of the Kashmiri people.