‘No Locus Standi To Speak on Internal Matters’: MEA Rejects OIC's 'Self-Determination' Remark on Jammu and Kashmir

New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday rejected the statements made by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) General Secretariat on Jammu and Kashmir, saying that it has no "locus standi" to speak on matters that are internal to India.

At a press briefing in Delhi, MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “Regarding the statement made by the OIC Secretariat, we reject those statements. They have no locus standi to speak on matters which are internal to India."

The General Secretariat of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) had raked up the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in a statement, advocating for the people's "right to self-determination".

The OIC General Secretariat released a statement on Monday in which it reiterated "full solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their legitimate quest for the right to self-determination".

"The General Secretariat, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the Islamic Summit and the Council of Foreign Ministers, reaffirms its unwavering and full support for the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their just struggle for their fundamental human rights, including their inalienable right to self-determination. It also urges India to respect the fundamental human rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir," the statement read.

The statement further read, "The General Secretariat also stresses the need for a final settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and reiterates its call on the international community to ensure the implementation of these resolutions."

However, the OIC remains silent on many issues like the Pakistan attack in Kabul, the killing of Afghan cricketers by Pakistan and the illegal disappearances of Baloch people by Pakistani authorities. The OIC also failed to take notice of the recent protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir against the Shehbaz Sharif government.

However, the OIC remains silent on many issues like the Pakistan attack in Kabul, the killing of Afghan cricketers by Pakistan and the illegal disappearances of Baloch people by Pakistani authorities. The OIC also failed to take notice of the recent protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir against the Shehbaz Sharif government.

Earlier, European writer and expert on West Asia affairs, Michael Arizanti, sharply criticised the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Arab states for turning a blind eye to killings in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), accusing global powers and Islamic nations of "shameful hypocrisy" in ignoring state violence against Kashmiri Muslims.

In a blog published in the Times of Israel, Arizanti compared the muted response to civilian deaths in PoK with global outrage over Gaza, questioning why "the death of a Palestinian in Gaza is a global headline, but the death of a Kashmiri Muslim in Muzaffarabad is a footnote."

"The OIC, so quick to issue statements against India whenever an incident occurs in Jammu and Kashmir, has not uttered a single word about the massacre in PoK. Not one," he wrote.

"Where are the imams, the scholars, the ministers who thunder about Gaza every Friday? The hypocrisy is as transparent as it is shameful."

At least 10 people were killed and more than 100 injured as Pakistani forces opened fire on protesters demanding affordable electricity and flour in Muzaffarabad, Dheerkot, Rawalakot and Mirpur, Arizanti noted.

"The massacre of Muslim civilians in PoK has barely stirred a whisper. The selective outrage is deafening," Arizanti wrote, accusing both Western and Islamic nations of double standards.

(With inputs from ANI)

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