India, Kashmir and OIC
Context: India rejected references to the country and
the Kashmir issue in resolutions adopted at the Organisation of Islamic
Conference (OIC) meet, describing them as factually incorrect, gratuitous and
unwarranted.
In
a strongly-worded statement, India advised the OIC to refrain from making such
references in future and said it is regrettable that the grouping continues to
allow itself to be used by a certain country, which has an abominable record on
religious tolerance, radicalism and persecution of minorities, without naming
Pakistan.
In
Detail
The
47th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the OIC in its
meeting on November 27-29 at Niamey in Niger had made a reference to India over
its policies on Jammu and Kashmir.
On
which, the Ministry of External Affairs has strongly and categorically reject
the factually incorrect, gratuitous and unwarranted references to India in
resolutions adopted by the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) at the 47th
CFM Session in Niamey.
Ministry
further added that, “We have always maintained that OIC has no locus standi in
matters strictly internal to India including that of Union Territory of Jammu
and Kashmir which is an integral and inalienable part of India.
MEA
saith that, It is regrettable that OIC continues to allow itself to be used by
a certain country, which has an abominable record on religious tolerance,
radicalism and persecution of minorities, to indulge in anti-India propaganda.
It said India strongly advises the OIC to refrain from making such references
in future.
Organization
of Islamic Cooperation
It
is the world’s second largest inter-governmental organisation after the United
Nations, with a membership of 57states.
It
was started with the objective of, to safeguard and protect the interests of
the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony
among various people of the world. OIC has reserved membership for
Muslim-majority countries. Russia, Thailand, and a couple of other small nations
have Observer status in OIC.
India
and The OIC
In
2019, India made its maiden appearance at the OIC Foreign Ministers’ meeting,
as a “guest of honour”. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj addressed the
Inaugural Plenary in Abu Dhabi on March, 2019, after having been invited by the
UAE Foreign Minister.
The
Ministry of External Affairs said then that the invitation was a welcome
recognition of the presence of 185 million Muslims in India and of their
contribution to its pluralistic ethos, and of India’s contribution to the
Islamic world.
This
first-time invitation was seen as a diplomatic victory for New Delhi,
especially at a time of heightened tensions with Pakistan following the Pulwama
attack. Pakistan had opposed the invitation to India, even the Foreign Minister
of Pakistan boycotted the plenary after the UAE turned down his demand to
rescind the invitation.
At
the 45th session of the Foreign Ministers’ Summit in 2018, Bangladesh was the
host country, suggested that India, where more than 10% of the world’s Muslims
live, should begiven Observer status, but Pakistan opposed the proposal.
In
1969, India was disinvited from the Conference of Islamic Countries in Rabat,
Morocco at Pakistan’s behest. Then Agriculture Minister Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
was disinvited upon arrival in Morocco after Pakistan President Yahya Khan
lobbied against Indian participation.
OIC’s
Resolution on Kashmir
After
the revocation of Article 370 and 35A, last year, Pakistan made full effort to lobbied against
this move in almost all forums, including the OIC, but giving a strong surprise
to the Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE,
both top leaders among the Muslim countries issued nuanced statements,
and were not as harshly critical of New Delhi as Islamabad had hoped.
In
the last one year, Islamabad has tried to rouse sentiments among the Islamic
countries, but only a handful of them, like Turkey and Malaysia publicly
criticised India.
The
similar event had also took place in the 2019 meet of the OIC. In 2018, the OIC
General Secretariat had “expressed strong condemnation of the killing of
innocent Kashmiris by Indian forces in Indian-occupied Kashmir, described the
direct shooting at demonstrators as a “terrorist act”, and called upon the
international community to play its role in order to reach a just and lasting
solution to the conflict in Kashmir.
The
2017 session of the OIC Foreign Ministers had adopted a resolution, reaffirming
the unwavering support for the Kashmiri people in their just cause, and
expressing deep concern at atrocious human rights violations being committed by
the Indian occupation forces since 1947.
At
the 2018 meeting in Dhaka, however, Jammu and Kashmir, had figured only one of
39 resolutions adopted, that too, along with 12 other states or regions
worldwide. Pakistan accused Bangladesh of circulating the text very late. Even
the resolution in Abu Dhabi, adopted the day after Sushma Swaraj spoke,
condemned, atrocities and human rights violations in Kashmir.
Conclusion
OIC's
resolution on Kashmir, in the last few decades have become an annual ritual,
and of little significance to India. Everybody knows that it has been generally
supportive of Pakistan’s stand on Kashmir, and has issued statements criticising
the alleged Indian atrocities in the Union Territory.
The
declaration reiterated OIC’s principled position on the Jammu and Kashmir
dispute for a peaceful settlement in accordance with the relevant UN Security
Council resolutions.
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