India lashes out at OIC for poking its nose at Pakistan's behest

OIC Secretariat has once again made unwarranted comments on the internal affairs of India, the External Affairs Ministry said.

India has lashed out at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation over its remark on the delimitation exercise in Jammu & Kashmir and asked the grouping to refrain from carrying out its communal agenda vis-à-vis India at the behest of one country (Pakistan).

In response to media queries, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said, "We are dismayed that the OIC Secretariat has once again made unwarranted comments on the internal affairs of India."

On numerous occasions, India had categorically rejected the assertions made by the OIC Secretariat on the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral and inalienable part of India.

On May 16, the OIC had expressed "deep concern" over the development in J&K, saying the delimitation exercises were in direct contravention of the relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and international law.

In a statement that the OIC shared on Twitter, it said, 'Referring to the long-standing and principled position on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute and relevant decisions of the Islamic Summit and OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, the General Secretariat reiterates its solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their just quest for the right of self-determination, in accordance with relevant UNSC resolutions.'

After the state was bifurcated into two Union Territories in 2019, the delimitation commission on J&K had last month recommended 90 assembly constituencies in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.

Out of 93 seats, 43 are for Jammu and 47 for the Kashmir region. Prior to this, the Jammu region had 37 seats while the Kashmir Valley had 46.