India rejects Islamic organisation’s remarks on Kashmir, calls it ‘absurd’

India on Tuesday rejected Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) recent remarks over Kashmir, saying they have been issued at the “behest of Pakistan”.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “The OIC statement, issued at the behest of Pakistan, is absurd in refusing to recognise the facts of the Pahalgam terror attack and its cross-border linkages.”

“This is yet another attempt by Pakistan, a country that has long engaged in cross-border terrorism, to manipulate and misguide the OIC group to issue a self-serving statement,” the MEA spokesperson said.

He also rejected the OIC’s “interference on matters that are internal to India”. Earlier, the OIC in New York had expressed “deep concern over the deteriorating security environment in South Asia," citing India’s “unfounded allegations against the Islamic Republic of Pakistan" as a key factor inflaming tensions in the region.

In a joint statement yesterday, the 57-member OIC said such accusations risk exacerbating an already volatile situation, and reiterated its “principled position against, and condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, committed by whomsoever and wherever."

The group also rejected “all attempts to associate any country, race, religion, culture or nationality with terrorism."

On Kashmir, the OIC had stated, “The unresolved dispute remains the core issue affecting peace and security in South Asia. The people of Jammu and Kashmir continue to be denied their inalienable right to self-determination as enshrined in the relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions."

“The Group commends the offer of good offices made by the UN Secretary-General (Antonio Guterres) and calls upon the international community, including the UNSC and influential states, to take immediate and credible measures to de-escalate the situation," the OIC statement said.

India