India on Tuesday hit out strongly at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for its recent statement on the ghastly Pahalgam terror attack, calling it “absurd” and “politically motivated." The MEA also blamed Pakistan for manipulating the group to push an anti-India agenda.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday issued a sharp rebuttal after the OIC Group in New York released a statement that appeared to question India’s narrative on the April 22 attack in which 26 civilians, mostly tourists, were killed in Kashmir's Pahalgam.
“The OIC statement, issued at the behest of Pakistan, is absurd in refusing to recognise the facts of the Pahalgam terrorist attack and its cross-border linkages. This is yet another attempt by Pakistan, a country that has long engaged in cross-border terrorism, to manipulate and misguide the OIC Group to issue a self-serving statement. We reject the OIC’s interference in matters that are internal to India,” the statement read.
What was OIC's statement on India-Pakistan tensions?
{{/usCountry}}“The OIC statement, issued at the behest of Pakistan, is absurd in refusing to recognise the facts of the Pahalgam terrorist attack and its cross-border linkages. This is yet another attempt by Pakistan, a country that has long engaged in cross-border terrorism, to manipulate and misguide the OIC Group to issue a self-serving statement. We reject the OIC’s interference in matters that are internal to India,” the statement read.
What was OIC's statement on India-Pakistan tensions?
{{/usCountry}}On Monday, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in New York issued a statement expressing "deep concern over the deteriorating security environment in South Asia.'
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According to the state-run Anadolu Agency of Turkey, which is part of the OIC since its establishment, the statement also said that India's “unfounded allegations against the Islamic Republic of Pakistan” were the factor behind escalating tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad.
OIC further stated that the accusations by India risk exacerbating an already volatile situation, and reiterated its "principled position against, and condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, committed by whomsoever and wherever."
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The group also rejected "all attempts to associate any country, race, religion, culture or nationality with terrorism."
Tensions rise between India and Pakistan
The tension between India and Pakistan rose following the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 people, including tourists.
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Following the Pahalgam attack, India has taken strong countermeasures against Pakistan for its support of cross-border terrorism.
India decided to hold the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism and closes the integrated Attari Check Post.