India rejects OIC suggestion to allow mission to J-K

Strongly rejecting Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's suggestion of allowing an OIC fact-finding mission to Jammu and Kashmir to assess rights situation there, India on Friday said the grouping has no ‘locus standi’ on such matters and termed suggestions to this effect by Pakistan foreign minister as ‘propagandist’.

"The OIC has no locus standi on matters concerning the internal affairs of India or the recent incidents on the LoC. We have already clarified that UNMOGIP has no relevance in regard to the latter.

"The propagandist suggestions made in the foreign minister's statement are neither new nor helpful," official spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs said.

He was responding to a question regarding the statement made by the foreign minister of Pakistan at the recently concluded OIC Contact Group meeting on Jammu and Kashmir held in Cairo.

Backing Pakistan, the OIC had on Thursday asked India to allow an OIC fact-finding mission, international rights groups and humanitarian organisations to visit Jammu and Kashmir to assess the rights situation.

A joint communique, adopted at an OIC summit that concluded in Cairo, "called upon India to allow the OIC fact-finding mission, the international human rights groups and humanitarian organisations to visit Jammu and Kashmir’, a statement issued by the Pakistan Foreign Office had said Thursday.

The communique had also welcomed Pakistan's proposal for an investigation by the UN Military Observers Group for India and Pakistan into recent ceasefire violations along the  Line of Control.

It expressed ‘deep concern’ over the ceasefire violations. The communique had further called on India to undertake an ‘independent investigation into the discovery of mass graves and ensure free and fair trial of those responsible’ for ‘heinous crimes’.

The Pakistani delegation to the summit was led by Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, who had called for an probe into the ceasefire violations on the LoC by the OIC.

The move came in the wake of India's rejection of Pakistan's call for a probe by the UNMOGIP. Clashes between Indian and Pakistani troops last month were among the worst violations of the ceasefire that was put in place along the 742-km LoC in late 2003.

One Indian soldier was beheaded by Pakistani troops while the mutilated body of another jawan was found in the Poonch sector along the LoC. Pakistan claims three of its soldiers were killed in Indian firing.