India rejects OIC remarks on Kashmir, says group has no locus standi

India on Wednesday rejected references to the country in a joint communiqué issued by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group on Jammu & Kashmir, calling them “unwarranted and factually incorrect”.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the OIC had “no locus standi” to comment on issues that are strictly internal to India.

“The entire Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts of India, and no amount of repetition of politically motivated propaganda can change this reality,” the ministry said.

The statement followed a meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu & Kashmir in New York on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

India questions OIC’s role

The MEA criticised the OIC for repeatedly endorsing what it described as “motivated narratives”, saying this raised “serious questions” about the organisation’s credibility.

“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,” the ministry said.

The OIC said its Contact Group meeting was held on September 21 and reaffirmed the organisation’s support for what it described as the Kashmiri people’s “inalienable right to self-determination”. It also expressed concern about the humanitarian, human rights and security situation in the region.

The organisation further called for the revocation of what it described as unilateral measures taken since 2019 and said relevant UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu & Kashmir remained in force.

Pakistan, Türkiye among participants

Foreign ministers and senior officials from Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Niger attended the OIC Contact Group meeting in New York.

The meeting formed part of the OIC’s wider programme on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The organisation had said before the UNGA that its Contact Group on Jammu & Kashmir would be among several ministerial groups meeting during the high-level week.

India’s response also came after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan referred to Kashmir during his address to the UN General Assembly.

Erdogan called for a peaceful resolution of the issue through dialogue, within the framework of the UN Charter and relevant resolutions.

The latest exchange comes against the backdrop of the OIC’s continued focus on Jammu & Kashmir at international forums, while India maintains that the region is an integral part of the country and rejects external intervention in what it considers internal matters.