OIC Secretary General Hisain Brahim Taha during his visit to Pakistan with Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif. Photo: Twitter/@OIC_OCI
India strongly condemns the visit of the Secretary General on 13 December Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for his comments on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Jammu and Kashmir, saying the grouping has no authority in matters related to the region.
Reacting sharply to OIC Secretary-General Hissen Brahim Taha’s visit to PoK, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “Any attempt by the OIC and its Secretary-General to interfere and meddle in the internal affairs of India is completely unacceptable.” He said the OIC has already lost its “credibility” by taking a “blatantly sectarian, partisan and factually incorrect approach” to the issues.
Mr. Taha was on a three-day visit to Pakistan from December 10-12.
“We strongly condemn the visit of the OIC Secretary General to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and his comments on Jammu and Kashmir during his visit to Pakistan. I reiterate that the OIC has no right to interfere in matters relating to Jammu and Kashmir. which is an integral and inseparable part of India,” Mr. Bagchi said.
He was answering questions from the media on the visit of OIC official to PoK.
Bagchi said, “OIC has already lost its credibility by taking a grossly communal, partisan and factually incorrect approach to issues. Its Secretary General has unfortunately become Pakistan’s mouthpiece.”
“We hope that he will desist from becoming an accomplice in furthering Pakistan’s nefarious agenda of promoting cross-border terrorism in India, especially in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
An OIC statement said Mr. Taha briefed Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif about his diplomatic efforts on the question of Jammu and Kashmir.
OIC is a group of Muslim majority countries.