Kashmir Impulse Desk
New Delhi, Sep 23
India on Wednesday rejected references to Jammu and Kashmir in a joint communiqué issued by an OIC Contact Group, calling them “unwarranted and factually incorrect” and saying the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation had no locus standi on matters it described as internal to India.
The Ministry of External Affairs said Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were “integral and inalienable” parts of India and that politically motivated statements would not alter that position.
The response followed remarks by Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar at an OIC Contact Group meeting held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York.
Pakistan said Dar called for a “unified position” on Jammu and Kashmir at international forums and reiterated Islamabad’s position in favour of a settlement based on UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
India rejected the communique and questioned the OIC’s credibility over what it described as “motivated narratives”.
The MEA also accused Pakistan of supporting terrorism and said the OIC should instead address terrorism emanating from territory under Pakistan’s control.
