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CFM-OIC for strict adherence to agreements, including IWT
ISLAMABAD: The Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (CFM-OIC) meeting has called for strict adherence to bilateral agreements, including Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and stressed the importance of a broad-based dialogue for peaceful settlement of all outstanding disputes between Pakistan and India.
The CFM-OIC also expressed solidarity with the government and people of Pakistan, over the recent military escalation in the South Asia region, including the unjustified strikes carried out on multiple locations in Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and stressed the need to exercise maximum restraint and avoid actions that would destabilise the region.
The OIC Foreign Ministers emphasised that the ceasefire, announced on 10 May 2025, must be faithfully adhered to, in the interest of regional peace and stability.
This was stated in a joint declaration adopted by the 51st Session of OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (Under the Theme: the OIC in a Transforming World) issued here by the Foreign Office of Pakistan on Monday. The two-day regular 51st session was convened at Istanbul on 21-22 June 2025.
The session renewed solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir and expressed full support for their inalienable right to self-determination in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council and OIC resolutions.
The Joint Communiqué reaffirmed the centrality of the Palestinian cause for the OIC, firm support for the establishment of a sovereign, independent, contiguous Palestinian state on the 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital and that two-State solution is the only viable solution to reach peace and stability in the region for all.
The OIC reiterated the importance of convening the United Nations High-Level Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution and relevant United Nations resolutions, under the co-chairmanship of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the French Republic. The declaration called upon all UN Member States to participate actively in the conference once its new date is announced.
Condemning the continued Israeli aggression against Gazans, the CFM-OIC supported the intensive diplomatic efforts of the Ministerial Committee established by the Joint Arab-Islamic Summit on Gaza to press for an immediate ceasefire, the delivery of humanitarian aid to all areas of the Gaza Strip, and the initiation of practical steps toward the implementation of the two-State solution.
In addition, they also expressed support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in the Near East for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) which plays an irreplaceable role in providing services to Palestine refugees and call on the international community to continue their support to UNRWA both politically and financially. The OIC unequivocally rejected any schemes aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians from their land.
The CFM-OIC condemned destabilisation policies of Israel in the region and its recent attacks on Iran, Syria, and Lebanon, constituting flagrant violation of sovereignty and security of these countries and international law, call on the international community to take deterrent measures to stop this aggression and make Israel accountable for crimes committed; decides to establish an open ended Ministerial Contact group, which will be tasked with establishing regular contacts with the relevant regional and international parties, in order to support De-escalation efforts, stop the aggression against Iran and to achieve a peaceful settlement.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
