Saudi Arabia has rejected Pakistan’s request to discuss the issue of Kashmir during a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

In December, Pakistan announced that it had achieved a diplomatic victory by imposing a special session on Kashmir in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, according to newspaper The Hindu. No statement was issued at the time from the OIC.

The Pakistani news daily DAWN reported on Thursday that Saudi Arabia had rejected Prime Minister Imran Khan’s calls for a debate on Kashmir.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is holding a meeting of senior officials in Jeddah on 9 February to prepare for the OIC Foreign Ministers’ Council meeting.

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority area, has been partially occupied by the military of India since 1947, after a conflict between India and Pakistan. Despite a referendum being promised to the Kashmiris, India had denied them this right. Since August 2019, the Modi government stripped the occupied territories of any remaining autonomy, leading to major protests across the Islamic world.