NEW DELHI: The Secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a 57-member grouping, sought to send a delegation to Jammu and Kashmir and raised issues concerning the situation of Muslims in India, in a meeting with India’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. The rare meeting between an Indian diplomat and an OIC secretary general was held on July 5 in Saudi Arabia’s port city of Jeddah.
“The Secretary General welcomed Ambassador Ausaf Sayeed and reviewed with him a number of issues concerning the situation of Muslims in India, along with the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, and relevant UN and OIC resolutions opposing any unilateral actions on the issue,” a statement from the OIC noted.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindham Bagchi said the meeting was held on the request of the Islamic bloc.
“A wide range of issues was discussed. Our ambassador conveyed the need to correct some of the misperceptions about India that are being perpetrated by the vested interests in the OIC,” Bagchi said.
Ambassador Sayeed told the OIC to ensure that its platform is not used by those with vested interest to make comments on India’s internal affairs or to spread anti-India propaganda through biased and one-sided resolutions, Bagchi said.
India has maintained that the OIC has no locus standi on Kashmir, and had, in the past, called out the grouping for making unwarranted references to India in its resolutions. New Delhi had also raised concerns that Pakistan is trying to use the OIC as an anti-India platform.