New Delhi: India on Monday strongly rejected a resolution by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir (J&k), terming the references as "malicious, biased and false".
New Delhi, in a strong reaction, said the references to India by the OIC "have been orchestrated by Pakistan" and that the grouping has allowed itself to be "misused" by the nation for its "bigoted agenda".
"We categorically reject the anti-India references in the resolutions of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Baghdad on October 17-18," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
"The references to India are malicious, biased and false, and have been orchestrated by Pakistan. We are disappointed that the OIC has once again allowed itself to be misused by Pakistan for its bigoted agenda," it said.
OIC has no 'locus standi' to comment on J&K: MEA
The MEA said the OIC has "no locus standi whatsoever" to comment on matters that are 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 MEA said.
"Over the past years since the abrogation of Art 370, Jammu and Kashmir has seen significant economic growth and benefits accruing directly to its people through infrastructure development, tourism and connectivity," it said.
MEA notes situation in PoJK
Contrasting the positive transformation in India's Union Territories with the ground situation across the border, the MEA pointed out that Pakistan had unleashed violence, repression and brutality on civilian protesters in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and that no amount of media blackout had been able to hide the "grave violations" of human rights.
"This is in stark contrast to the situation in PoJK, where Pakistan has unleashed violence, repression and brutality on civilian protesters, killing scores of them, including women and children. No amount of media blackout has been able to hide these grave violations of human rights. 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," the MEA said.
"Other fabricated and hostile references against India in the OIC resolutions, including insinuations related to Islamophobia, are nothing but a desperate attempt by Pakistan to divert international attention from its own appalling record of minority persecution and sectarian violence, apart from governance failure and political instability," it added.
The MEA noted that the OIC's repeated endorsement of "patently malicious propaganda and narratives" peddled by Pakistan raised serious questions about its credibility and integrity, and expressed hope that its members would reform the organisation.
(With inputs from PTI & ANI)
