NEW DELHI: India firmly and unequivocally told the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation that it would be better off not commenting on India's internal affairs. Replying to comments on Kashmir made by Pakistan, which was using the OIC to comment on the troubled state. Pak made its comment on behalf of the OIC, of which it is a member.
Sumit Seth, first secretary at the Permanent Mission of India to UN, said, “Organisation of Islamic Cooperation has no locus standi on India's internal affairs, we strongly advise the OIC to refrain from making such references in future.” Seth gave the response using the “right of reply” after Pak poked the country. “The OIC in its statement contains factually incorrect and misleading references to the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. India outrightly rejects all such references. The Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral and inseparable part of India,” he said.
A 57-nation body that says it is “the collective voice of the Muslim world,” the OIC has often made comments on Kashmir. It once talked about “gross human rights violations in Kashmir” and said the Kashmir dispute posed a threat to the peace and security of the region. In April, it said it “backs Pakistan” on the Kashmir issue, adding that it believes there is a need to put “pressure” on India on the issue of alleged human rights violations in the state.
A month before that, minister in Pakistan's permanent mission to the UN, Masood Anwar, raised the Kashmir issue in his statement to the UN General Assembly session of the committee on information. As soon as he made these remarks, minister in India's Permanent Mission to the UN, S Srinivas Prasad, interrupted Anwar's speech and strongly raised objections to the mention of Kashmir by the Pakistani delegate. Before delivering India's statement at the session, Prasad said the Kashmir issue was totally unrelated to the forum. "Before I begin my statement, I would like to thank the chair for its deft handling and not allowing the elaboration of a subject which is totally unrelated to this forum as was tried by a member state," said Prasad.
