https://arab.news/nsx63
- India accused the Organization of Islamic Cooperation of ‘bigotry’ after its recent statement on Kashmir
- Pakistan called OIC the largest multilateral forum of Islamic nations that voiced concern over such issues
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday rejected the comments made by the Indian external affairs ministry wherein it criticized the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for expressing solidarity with the people of Kashmir and describing New Delhi’s decision to revoke the region’s special constitutional status as “illegal and unilateral.”
The OIC statement coincided with the third anniversary of New Delhi’s decision to integrate its part of the disputed Himalayan region, which has a Muslim majority, with the rest of the Indian union.
The OIC also maintained India had tried to bring about “illegal demographic changes” while making a reference to New Delhi’s decision to undo Article 35-A of Indian constitution that dealt with the issue of property ownership in Kashmir.
Reacting to the statement, India accused the OIC of “bigotry” and objected to its regular statements on the Kashmir issue.
Calling India a “serial violator of human rights and purveyor of state-terrorism,” Pakistan said it was astounding that New Delhi was accusing others of “bigotry” and harboring “communal agenda.”
“OIC is the largest multilateral forum of Islamic countries representing more than 1.7 billion Muslims and has always been vocal in support of the legitimate rights of the Kashmiri people, who have suffered unspeakably from India’s over seven-decades long illegal occupation and unabated oppression,” the statement said.
It also noted that Jammu and Kashmir was an internationally recognized disputed territory “that has been under forcible and illegal Indian occupation since 1947.”
“While perpetuating its tyranny and injustice, India will not succeed in misleading the international community by claiming ‘socio-economic growth and development’ in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK),” it added. “No amount of repetition would turn a falsehood into truth.”
The foreign office reiterated India must honor its commitment to the world and people of Kashmir by implementing the United Nations Security Council resolutions for a peaceful settlement of the dispute.