India hit back at Pakistan and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation after the group raised the Kashmir issue at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. New Delhi rejected the statements made during a side meeting, telling the organisation to stop letting Pakistan spread false claims and urging it to counsel Pakistan.
India’s sharp message to the OIC
The Contact Group includes Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Niger. Pakistan had listed the meeting among the key engagements of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar during the UNGA high-level week. The Ministry of External Affairs accused Pakistan of using the OIC platform to spread what it described as misleading claims about India. The ministry further questioned the credibility of the OIC for repeatedly backing Pakistan’s position on Kashmir.
“Instead of offering a platform to Pakistan to peddle its fabricated and motivated propaganda, OIC will be better advised to counsel Pakistan,” the MEA said.
During the meeting, the OIC repeated its support for what it described as the right of the Kashmiri people to self-determination. India responded by firmly rejecting the OIC’s remarks. The organisation said Secretary-General Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed called for continued international attention on Kashmir and reiterated the group’s opposition to measures India introduced in 2019.
The Ministry of External Affairs said the comments were unwarranted and factually incorrect. The OIC has no role in matters that India considers internal issues, according to New Delhi. “The OIC has no locus standi to pronounce on matters that are strictly internal to India,” the Ministry of External Affairs said.
