India slams OIC for its J&K statement: Reeks of bigotry

The Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said such statements only expose the OIC as an organisation devoted to a “communal agenda being pursued through terrorism”.

On the third anniversary of the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and its bifurcation, the OIC called on the international community to take steps to resolve the “dispute” in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions.

“The statement issued by the General Secretariat of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Jammu and Kashmir today reeks of bigotry,” Bagchi said.

He asserted that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir “is and will remain an integral and inalienable” part of India.

“As a result of long-awaited changes three years ago, it today reaps the benefits of socio-economic growth and development,” Bagchi said.

“The OIC General Secretariat, however, continues to issue statements on Jammu and Kashmir at the behest of a serial violator of human rights and notorious promoter of cross-border, regional and international terrorism,” he said, in a reference to Pakistan. “Such statements only expose the OIC as an organization devoted to a communal agenda being pursued through terrorism.”

In Beijing, China said that India and Pakistan should resolve their differences over the Kashmir issue peacefully through dialogue and consultation.

Asked for her comment on the third anniversary of the revocation of Article 370 by India, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing that the issue should be resolved peacefully by India and Pakistan through dialogue.

“On the issue of Kashmir, China’s position is clear and consistent. This is an issue leftover from history between India and Pakistan. And this is also a shared view of the international community,” she said.

“We stated back then that parties concerned need to exercise restraint and prudence. In particular, parties should avoid taking actions that unilaterally change the status quo or escalate tensions,” Hua said.

“We call on both India and Pakistan to peacefully resolve the dispute through dialogue and consultation,” she said.