HighLights
  1. India firmly rejects OIC's "unwarranted" references on Jammu and Kashmir.
  2. OIC lacks authority to comment on India's internal affairs.
  3. India urges OIC to counsel Pakistan on its terrorism record.

India on Wednesday firmly rejected the "unwarranted and factually incorrect" references to India made by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir. India said the OIC has no locus standi to pronounce on matters that are strictly internal to India.

It also said the OIC group would be “better advised to counsel Pakistan” instead of offering it a platform.

This comes after the OIC Contact Group (which includes countries like Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Azerbaijan, and Niger) met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. During the meeting, Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, asked OIC nations to stay united on the Kashmir issue and push back against India's 2019 policy changes.

In a post on X, Pakistan's foreign ministry on Wednesday said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar addressed the ministerial meeting of the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Dar urged OIC member states to maintain a "unified position" on Jammu and Kashmir at the United Nations and other international fora. He reiterated Pakistan's commitment to a "just and peaceful settlement of the dispute in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people", the post said.

The comments made to Jammu and Kashmir drew a sharp response from New Delhi.

What New Delhi Said

In a post on X, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal shared India's statement on references made by OIC Contact Group on Jammu & Kashmir.

"India categorically rejects the unwarranted and factually incorrect references to India in the Joint Communique of the so-called OIC Contact Group on Jammu & Kashmir. The OIC has no locus standi to pronounce on matters that are strictly internal to India," the MEA said in a statement.

The entire Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are "integral and inalienable part of India", and "no amount of repetition of politically motivated propaganda can change this reality", the Ministry of External Affairs added.

The MEA also said, "Repeated endorsement of such motivated narratives only raises serious questions on the credibility of OIC."

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India accused Pakistan of having a “well-documented record of supporting and sponsoring terrorism” and called on Islamabad to address what it described as the continuing threat of terrorism emanating from territories under its control.

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"Instead of offering a platform to Pakistan to peddle its fabricated and motivated propaganda, OIC will be better advised to counsel Pakistan, which has a well-documented record of supporting and sponsoring terrorism, to look inwards and address the continuing threat of terrorism emanating from territories under its control," it said.


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