NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday strongly rejected the comments by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressing concern over the Supreme Court's verdict upholding the 2019 revocation of Article 370 of the Constitution that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
"India rejects the statement issued by the General Secretariat of the OIC on a judgement of the Indian Supreme Court. It is both ill-informed and ill-intended. That OIC does so at the behest of a serial violator of human rights and an unrepentant promoter of cross-border terrorism makes its action even more questionable. Such statements only undermine OIC’s credibility," said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.
The response by MEA was on the General Secretariat of the OIC expressing concern over the verdict by the Supreme Court of India on 11 December 2023, upholding what they referred to as "the unilateral actions’’ taken by the Indian government on 5th August 2019 that stripped the special status of the territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
"The General Secretariat, about the decisions and resolutions of the Islamic Summit and the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers related to the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, reiterates its call to reverse all illegal and unilateral measures taken since 5 August 2019 aimed at changing the internationally-recognized disputed status of the territory," the OIC statement read.
In addition, the GS of the OIC reaffirmed its solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their quest for the right of self-determination and reiterated its call on the international community to enhance its efforts to resolve the issue of Jammu and Kashmir following the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Meanwhile, Pakistan had raised concerns over this too wherein former Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan would continue to support the Kashmir issue.
China said that the Kashmir issue needs to be resolved peacefully following the UN Charter.
"China’s position on the Kashmir issue is consistent and clear-out. The Kashmir issue, left from the past, needs to be resolved peacefully and appropriately under the UN Charter, Security Council resolutions and relevant bilateral agreements. Parties concerned need to settle the dispute through dialogue and consultation to maintain regional peace and stability," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning in response to a query from a Pakistani journalist during their weekly presser.
On Tuesday, the General Secretariat of the OIC expressed concern over the Supreme Court verdict In a statement, the General Secretariat also reaffirmed its solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Supreme Court had on Monday upheld the Centre's August 5, 2019 decision to abrogate Article 370.