India on Friday rejected references to Jammu & Kashmir in the Final Communiqué adopted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Member -States at a summit in Istanbul. The OIC devoted six paragraphs out of total 218 in its Final Communiqué in which it accused the Indian security forces of indiscriminate use of force and gross violations of human rights against civilians in Jammu & Kashmir.
“We note with utmost regret that the Final Communiqué adopted at the conclusion of the 13th Islamic Summit of the Heads of State/Government of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Member States held at Istanbul, Turkey on 14-15 April includes factually incorrect and misleading references pertaining to the Indian State of Jammu & Kashmir, which is an integral part of India. We completely reject all such references regarding matters internal to India, on which the OIC has no locus standi. We further advise the OIC to refrain from making such references in future,” Minsitry of External Affairs spoksperson Vikas Swarup said on Friday, shortly after the Communique was made public.
From paragraphs 21 to 26, the OIC document goes about talking against the Indian Government and its security forces even though the bigger focus of the meeting was taking up the cause of Palestine. However, OIC went on to pledge the”support for the people of Jammu & Kashmir for the realisation of their legitimate right to self-determination, in accordance with relevant UN resolutions and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.” The document virtually supports militancy in Valley and cross border terrorism saying “freedom struggle must not be equated with terrorism.”
OIC document also maintained that Jammu & Kashmir is the core dispute between Pakistan and India and its resolution is indispensable for bringing peace in South Asia.
Such utterance against India and flagging Jammu-Kashmir as a disputed territory is an annual ritual done under Pakistan’s pressure. India also takes little note of this annual exercise and it is yielding diminishing returns to OIC countries, almost all of whom except Pakistan, independently enjoy excellent economic, diplomatic and strategic relations with India.
In fact, OIC countries due to Pakistan’s insistence are the biggest roadblock in finalising the draft of Comprehensive Convention of International Terrorism (CCIT), where India has been seeking a universal definition of terrorists.