5 March 2019 10:08 am
A meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) passed two strongly worded resolutions on Kashmir, including a reference to “Indian terrorism” a day after it was addressed by India’s Foreign Minister, Sushma Swaraj . The two resolutions, one on the Kashmir issue and another on the India-Pakistan “peace process”, were part of the overall political resolution passed at the end of the meeting.
The first described Kashmir as the “core dispute” between the two countries and expressed concern at rights violations in “Indian occupied” Kashmir. It also described the gunning down of terrorist commander Burhan Wani as an “extra-judicial killing” and spoke of “Indian terrorism” in the state. The second welcomed Prime Minister Imran Khan’s offer of dialogue with India, and the gesture of releasing the Indian pilot captured after warplanes from the two sides engaged each other along the Line of Control on February 27. It called for restraint and de-escalation as well as the resolution of outstanding issues through peaceful means. It also expressed concern over the violation of Pakistani airspace and affirmed Islamabad’s right to self-defence. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said “The Modi government touted the invitation to the OIC as a great diplomatic success but it has turned out to be a huge embarrassment for India.
“The government’s claims that the OIC inviting India to attend the meeting was a diplomatic success had fallen flat with the 56-member grouping adopting a resolution that “supported” Pakistan on Kashmir issue and condemned alleged “Indian barbarities”.
New Delhi, (Hindustan Times),
4 Mar 2019