India on Friday reacted sharply to the reference made by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) that, among other, things urged member countries to render more support in all fields to help the Kashmiri people meet their aspirations.
The reference was made at the meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu & Kashmir on the sidelines of its 38th Council of Foreign Ministers in Astana. Rejecting “all such references/resolutions”, the External Affairs Ministry said: “We note with regret that the OIC has, once again, chosen to comment on J&K and India's internal affairs in the resolutions adopted.”
“Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the India and the OIC has no locus standi in matters concerning internal affairs of India, which is the largest democracy and home to the second-largest Muslim population in the world,” the Ministry said.
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Besides reiterating the continued support of the OIC for the people of J&K, its members called for a peaceful resolution of the dispute. They also took note of the memorandum submitted by the “true representatives” of the Kashmiri people, which welcomed the various confidence-building measures taken by Pakistan on the issue. The memorandum also urged Pakistan to have a result-oriented dialogue with India and noted that the resolution of the J&K dispute, in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people, would open new avenues of trade and economic cooperation and synergy for socio-economic development in the region.
‘Pakistan committed’
Addressing the meeting, Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar said peace and security in South Asia was directly linked to a peaceful resolution of the J&K dispute. Informing the gathering of Pakistan's commitment to constructively engage with India for a meaningful and result-oriented dialogue on J&K, she said Islamabad would continue to push for associating the “true representatives” of Kashmiris with the India-Pakistan dialogue on the issue.
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