India rejects OIC references to JK, asks group to ‘counsel Pakistan’

India has rejected references to Jammu and Kashmir made by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group, saying the grouping should “better advise” Pakistan rather than provide it with a platform.

The response followed a meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir, held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the OIC had no locus standi to comment on issues that are strictly internal to India. It termed the grouping’s references to Jammu and Kashmir “unwarranted and factually incorrect”.

“The OIC has no locus standi to pronounce on matters that are strictly internal to India,” the MEA said, reiterating that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are “integral and inalienable” parts of India.

The ministry also questioned the credibility of the OIC, saying its repeated endorsement of what it described as “politically motivated propaganda” raised concerns about the organisation’s position.

“Repeated endorsement of such motivated narratives only raises serious questions on the credibility of OIC,” the MEA said.

India further rejected what it described as attempts to alter the status of Jammu and Kashmir through repeated references to the region at international forums.

The OIC Contact Group includes Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Niger. At its meeting in New York on Tuesday, the group reiterated its support for what it described as the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination.