New Delhi : India on Thursday categorically rejected yet another reference to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir issued by the General Secretariat of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, in a statement, said that the OIC has “no locus standi in matters relating to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral part of India”.
“We categorically reject yet another unacceptable reference to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir issued by the General Secretariat of OIC. OIC has no locus standi in matters relating to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral part of India,” the statement said.
Mr Bagchi reiterated that the OIC General Secretariat should refrain from allowing vested interests to exploit its platform for comments on internal affairs of India.
The OIC comments on Jammu and Kashmir come on the second anniversary of the revocation of Article 370, that changed the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, and resulted in its division into two Union Territories – of J&K and Ladakh.
Earlier, Pakistan had taken a team of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the OIC to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in an attempt to drum up support against India over the Kashmir issue.
Marking two years of the revocation of Article 370 on Thursday, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar tweeted that the Union Territory of J&K has seen “real Democracy, Development, Good Governance and Empowerment” in the last two years, that has helped to strengthen India’s unity and integrity.
“Jammu and Kashmir has seen real Democracy, Development, Good Governance and Empowerment in the last two years. As a result, India’s unity and integrity has been immeasurably strengthened,” Jaishankar posted with the hashtag NewJammuKashmir.
Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi said the “historic” move to abrogate Article 370 on August 5, 2019, has brought an era of peace and development in Jammu and Kashmir.
“On this day two years ago, Article 370 was abrogated. The historic move has brought an era of peace and development in Jammu & Kashmir. Under the leadership of @narendramodi ji and @amitshah ji we bear witness to the formation of #NewJammuKashmir,” she posted.
India has firmly stated that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral and inalienable part of its territory, and all the issues relating to the Union Territory of J&K are an internal affair of the country,
On the constitutional changes brought about on Jammu and Kashmir, India has maintained that “these relate to the temporary provisions on J&K, including an Article 370 of the constitution”, and that the changes have been brought through established parliamentary procedures and it is well within the framework of the Constitution of India to effect these changes.”
UNI
