India rejects OIC resolution on Kashmir, accuses Pakistan of misusing bloc

India on Monday rejected a resolution on Jammu and Kashmir adopted by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), accusing Pakistan of using the grouping to pursue its “bigoted agenda”.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) described the references to India in resolutions adopted at the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Baghdad, Iraq, on October 17 and 18 as “malicious, biased and false”.

“We are disappointed that the OIC has once again allowed itself to be misused by Pakistan for its bigoted agenda,” the MEA said.

New Delhi also asserted that the OIC had “no locus standi whatsoever” to comment on matters that were strictly internal to India.

“The Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts of India. Politically motivated propaganda can never alter this reality,” the statement said.

The MEA said Jammu and Kashmir had witnessed “economic growth and improvements in infrastructure, tourism and connectivity” since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.

“This is in stark contrast to the situation in PoJK, where Pakistan has unleashed violence, repression and brutality against civilian protesters, killing scores of them including women and children,” the ministry said.

It added that the only issues related to Jammu and Kashmir that remain to be addressed are “Pakistan vacating from areas under its illegal and forcible occupation and ceasing its continued support to cross-border terrorism.”

India also criticised what it described as fabricated and hostile references against the country in the OIC resolutions, including insinuations related to Islamophobia. The MEA said the grouping’s repeated endorsement of narratives advanced by Pakistan raised questions about its credibility and integrity.

The OIC, a grouping of Muslim-majority countries, has repeatedly adopted resolutions and issued statements expressing support for the people of Jammu and Kashmir and calling for the resolution of the dispute in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions. India has consistently rejected third-party involvement in the matter, maintaining that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country.