Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and the issue is strictly internal to the country, New Delhi asserted on Saturday, 2 March, in reaction to a resolution on the matter by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in its two-day foreign ministers' conclave in Abu Dhabi.
"As regards the resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir, our stand is consistent and well known. We reaffirm that Jammu & Kashmir is an integral part of India and is a matter strictly internal to India," Spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Raveesh Kumar said.
Earlier, the Pakistan Foreign Office said that the 46th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of OIC concluded with a resolution that “supported” Pakistan on the Kashmir issue.
"In a resolution, the OIC member states reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir remains the core dispute between Pakistan and India and its resolution is indispensable for the dream for peace in South Asia," it claimed.
OIC Resolution Expressed ‘Deep Concern’
The resolution also "expressed deep concern" over the alleged human rights violations in Kashmir, the Pakistan Foreign Office claimed, adding that the resolution also reminded the international community of its obligation to ensure implementation of UN Security Council resolutions on the Kashmir dispute.
The OIC also called for “restraint and de-escalation” in South Asia as well as the need to resolve outstanding issues through peaceful means, the Pakistan Foreign Office said.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj attended the inaugural plenary of the 46th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of OIC on Friday, 1 March. She was the first Indian minister to address the OIC meeting.
India's participation came despite strong demand by Pakistan to rescind the invitation to Swaraj to address the grouping which was turned down by the host UAE, resulting in Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi boycotting the plenary.
Congress Slams Govt Over Resolution
The Congress on Sunday, 3 March, said the Modi government claims that the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) inviting India to attend its plenary was a diplomatic success has fallen flat with the 57-nations grouping adopting a resolution that "supported" Pakistan on the Kashmir issue.
"External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj attended the OIC meeting in Abu Dhabi. The NDA-BJP government touted it as a huge diplomatic success for India that it has been invited to attend the plenary...But what happened in Abu Dhabi is extremely disturbing for India," said Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari.
Tewari Sunday said the Congress would like to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi and EAM Swaraj whether this was "the diplomatic achievement".
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)