India slams OIC for "unwarranted reference" to Jammu and Kashmir in its Makkah summit declaration

MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar stated that the OIC should refrain from making such "unwarranted references".

Arab and Islamic states foreign ministers pose for a family picture during a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Arab League member states' top diplomats in Jeddah on May 30, 2019, ahead of the Gulf, Arab, and Islamic summits to be held in the holy city of Mecca on May 30 and 31, 2019. (Photo by BANDAR ALDANDANI / AFP)

New Delhi: In a strong reaction to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s reference to Jammu and Kashmir in a communiqué adopted at its summit meeting last week, India said that the OIC has no locus standi in matters relating to the Indian state. Rejecting the reference as “unacceptable,” the Ministry of External Affairs stated that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar stated that the OIC should refrain from making such "unwarranted references". "We categorically reject yet another unacceptable reference to matters internal to India in the Final Communique adopted at the conclusion of the 14th Islamic Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states held at Makkah on May 31," Kumar said. In its final communique at the Makkah summit, the OIC reiterated its support for the “legitimate rights” of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and even appointed a special envoy for the state. The OIC is an international organisation consisting of 57 member states, 53 of them Muslim-majority nations. On March 1, then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj attended the inaugural plenary of the 46th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of OIC in Abu Dhabi on March 1. She was the first Indian minister to address the OIC meeting. India's participation came despite Pakistan's strong demand to rescind the invitation to Swaraj. Pakistan's request was turned down by host UAE, resulting in Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi boycotting the plenary.