OIC statement on Kashmir hurting interests of 150 million Indian Muslims By Sultan Shahin

India has done well to reject the comments on Jammu and Kashmir in the final document of the recent OIC summit at Dakar, Senegal, saying the forum has no locus standi in matters concerning its internal affairs. The Secretary General of the 57-member organisation, Ekmeleddin Ibsanoglu, described Kashmir as a pressing and burning political dispute. Noting with “regret” the reference to Kashmir in the document that followed the summit on March 13 and 14, a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson said, “The OIC has no locus standi in matters concerning our internal affairs, including Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral part of India. We strongly reject all such comments. It is customary for the OIC to make such references to the State.”