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OIC has no locus standi on Kashmir: India
India today rejected the Organisation of Islamic Countries's resolution on Kashmir -- that the issue be settled in accordance with the
relevant United Nations resolutions and as agreed upon in the Shimla agreement -- saying that it has no ''locus standi whatsoever in this matter''.
Asked about the 'Tehran declaration', an official spokesman said that ''similar resolutions have come to our notice in the past few years, pertaining to affairs which are within the domestic jurisdiction of
India''.
The declaration, issued at the end of the three-day
eighth Islamic summit in the Iranian capital yesterday, had a one-line reference to the issue, reiterating its full support to Kashmiris "in the realisation of their right to self-determination".
The final communique, a separate document, called for the
peaceful settlement of the dispute and condemned the "continuing
massive violations of human rights of the Kashmiri people".
It urged member-states of the OIC to take all necessary steps to persuade India to "cease forthwith the gross and systematic human rights violations of the Kashmiri people".
The communique said the Kashmiri people must be enabled to
"exercise their inalienable right to self-determination as mandated
by the relevant resolutions of the Security Council".
According to it, any political process or elections held under
"foreign occupation" could not be a substitute for the exercise of
the right of self-determination by the people of Kashmir.
The communique supported the "initiative of the government of
Pakistan to engage India in a dialogue" for resolving all
outstanding issues between the two countries, including the core
issue of Kashmir, and "encouraged India to reciprocate positively".
The summit commended the efforts being made by the OIC contact
group on Jammu and Kashmir, which has Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Niger as members, besides the OIC secretary-general.
The summit, attended by leaders of 55 OIC member states, adopted
142 resolutions in all, including three on Kashmir and one on the
destruction of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya. Among others, the meeting was attended by Pakistan Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharief.
India has repeatedly said that the OIC has no locus standi on the Kashmir issue and made it clear that Jammu and Kashmir was and will remain an integral part of the country.
India has also been saying that OIC resolutions on the issue were
largely influenced by Pakistan as part of its efforts to raise the
topic at all international fora.
UNI
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