India on Monday slammed the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for making “unwarranted” and “factually incorrect” references to it while coming under influence of Pakistan, which turned terrorism into “statecraft”.
India’s strong reactions came after a two-day foreign ministerial conclave of the OIC in Turkey criticised New Delhi on a range of issues including what it said is “social marginalisation” of Indian Muslims.
The OIC also called for strict adherence to bilateral pacts between India and Pakistan, including the Indus Waters Treaty and stressed the need for a broad-based dialogue for peaceful settlement of all outstanding disputes.
“India categorically rejects the unwarranted and factually incorrect references to India at the OIC council of foreign ministers’ meeting,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
“These statements, driven by Pakistan, which has turned terrorism into statecraft, reflect the continued misuse of the OIC platform for narrow political ends,” it said.
The MEA said the OIC’s repeated “failure” to acknowledge the real and documented threat of terrorism emanating from Pakistan, most recently evidenced in the heinous Pahalgam attack, reflects a “wilful disregard” for facts.
It said “the OIC has no locus standi to comment on India’s internal affairs, including Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral and sovereign part of India — a fact enshrined in the Indian Constitution and irreversibly settled.”
“The OIC should reflect deeply on the perils of allowing Pakistan’s propaganda to hijack and politicise its agenda. Any other course can only undermine the OIC’s credibility and relevance,” the MEA said.
It said India also “outrightly rejects” Pakistan’s baseless allegation of “unprovoked and unjustified military aggression”.
“India’s Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam terror attack was a precise and legitimate act of self-defence against terrorist camps operating from Pakistani territory,” the MEA said.
“It is absurd for Pakistan to speak of targeting only Indian military installations when its retaliatory attempts not only failed but recklessly endangered civilian lives and property and ended up causing several deaths and injuries among the civilian population.
“It is also ironic that Pakistan, a country with an abysmal human rights record and a history of sheltering, breeding and empowering terrorists, should lecture others on counter-terrorism and human rights,” it said.
The MEA said the comments made by Pakistan at the OIC meeting are nothing more than a “desperate attempt” to deflect international attention from its own appalling record of “state-sponsored terrorism, minority persecution and sectarian violence, apart from failure of governance”.
– Ends