New Delhi, 19 October (H.S.): India has categorically rejected the anti-India references contained in the resolutions adopted at the Council of Foreign Ministers meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), held in Baghdad on October 17 and 18. Describing the references as malicious, biased and false, India said they had been drafted at Pakistan’s behest. It accused the OIC of once again allowing Pakistan to misuse the organisation to advance its extremist agenda.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the OIC had no locus standi to comment on matters that were entirely internal to India. Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts of India, the ministry asserted, adding that politically motivated propaganda could not alter this reality.

According to the statement, Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed economic development in the years since the abrogation of Article 370. Improvements in infrastructure, tourism and connectivity have directly benefited the people of the region.

In contrast, the ministry alleged that Pakistan had resorted to violence, repression and brutality against civilian protesters in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). It said a large number of people, including women and children, had lost their lives. The ministry added that restrictions on the media had failed to conceal serious human rights violations in the region.

The MEA stated that only two issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir remained unresolved. Pakistan must vacate the territories under its illegal and forcible occupation and stop supporting cross-border terrorism, it said.

The ministry further described references targeting India in the OIC resolutions, including those concerning Islamophobia, as fabricated and hostile allegations reflecting Pakistan’s desperate attempts to divert international attention from the persecution of minorities, communal violence, governance failures and political instability within its own borders.

The MEA said the OIC’s repeated endorsement of Pakistan’s malicious propaganda and narratives raised serious questions about the organisation’s credibility and impartiality. It expressed the hope that the organisation’s member states would take steps to address the situation and uphold its credibility.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation comprises 57 member states. Established on September 25, 1969, the organisation is headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Most of its members are located in Asia and Africa. Albania is its European member, while Guyana and Suriname represent South America.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar