Pakistan raises Kashmir, as OIC envoys meet UN chief

• Muslim envoys, Guterres also discuss Palestine, Myanmar, Islamophobia during interactive meeting
• Dr Maleeha says Islamophobia turns into violent extremism against Muslims in Asia, Western countries

Pakistan’s Ambassador to UN Dr Maleeha Lodhi underscored the need to address the deteriorating situation in Indian-held Kashmir in the course of a meeting of OIC ambassadors with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, saying the escalating tensions could destabilise South Asia.

The hour and a half long interactive meeting between the ambassadors from the Islamic countries and the UN chief, which took place at the UN Headquarters in New York, was held in a cordial atmosphere during which a number of issues of concern to both sides came under discussion, including Palestine, Islamophobia and the situation being faced by Rohingya Muslims.

Ambassador Maleeha called for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue at the meeting. To avert another crisis in the subcontinent, she said that this longstanding issue on the UN agenda and one that figures in every OIC communique must be addressed. She appreciated the secretary-general’s emphasis on prevention in his approach to international peace and security.

For this, she said it was essential to deal with root causes to resolve conflicts and avert the next crisis from occurring. That made it important to resolve the outstanding disputes of Kashmir and Palestine, she went on to say. “As far as Kashmir is concerned, this had the potential of endangering the region’s peace and stability and was a priority for the OIC to address,” she said.

She conveyed Pakistan’s appreciation to the secretary-general for his efforts to strengthen the UN’s capability to assist member states in the balanced implementation of the global counter-terrorism strategy. She said that the broad support that his proposed reform of the counter-terrorism architecture has received reflects the OIC’s confidence that under his leadership the UN’s efforts in countering terrorism would be effective and non-discriminatory.

“This is particularly relevant to the false association being made by some elements between terrorism and Islam,” she said, adding the disturbing trend of rising Islamophobia was no longer limited just to Western countries but was being witnessed in Asia too where Muslims were facing mob violence every day. She said that the Islamophobia had turned into violent extremism against Muslims.

In this regard, she suggested that the secretary-general establish a task force to draw up a plan of action that Guterres himself proposed in the meeting to counter Islamophobia. In making the proposal, she emphasised the centrality of youth in efforts to counter Islamophobia, adding that engaging young people who were adept at using the social media would be crucial to this important endeavour.

The proposal was well received by the secretary general. Earlier, the UN chief outlined his key policy priorities and expressed the hope of maintaining a regular liaison with the OIC ambassadors on issues of mutual concern.