New Delhi, October 3
Is it the failure of Indian diplomacy? Pakistan succeeded in its efforts to compel the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) to appoint a special envoy for Jammu and Kashmir.
At its meeting in New York earlier this week, the OIC also stated that it supported people of Jammu and Kashmir in realisation of their legitimate right to self-determination in accordance with relevant UN resolutions and aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
A fuming India today reacted sharply to the OIC action, dubbing it as interference in the internal affairs of this country.
“Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and it is our firm position that the OIC has no locus standi in matters concerning India’s internal affairs,” the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.
Condemning the OIC move, New Delhi said inherent in its statements and actions on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir was a complete inability to understand India’s position.
The appointment of a Saudi national, Abdullah Bin Adbul Rahman Al Bakr, by the OIC as its envoy on Kashmir at its meeting in New York is being seen as a move initiated by Pakistan as part of its attempts to internationalise the Kashmir issue.
India has time and again told the international community, including major world powers, that Jammu and Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and there is no room for third party intervention.
Under pressure from Pakistan, the OIC has at all its meetings adopted resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir, prompting New Delhi to condemn 57-member body’s action every time. Privately, however, many of the Islamic nations have repeatedly assured India that they are not in agreement with OIC resolutions on Kashmir but had to support them for the sake of unanimity and to keep Pakistan in good humour.
Pakistan received the active support of separatist Kashmiri leaders in its attempt to make the OIC agree to appoint a special envoy for Kashmir. Islamabad has now started lobbying with the UN and its Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to appoint a special envoy on Kashmir. It had made desperate attempts to convince the Obama
administration also to include Kashmir in the agenda of Richard Holbrooke when he was being appointed the US President’s special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Well aware that its action would draw a strong response from India, the OIC is now trying to play down the appointment of the special envoy.
OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu was quoted as saying that the appointment would help bridge the gap between India and Pakistan and address the issue of minorities in India.
The OIC head said this was not the first time the OIC had appointed an envoy for Jammu and Kashmir. “This is just a continuation of the previous special representative. You know there has been a decision taken years back asking the OIC Secretary General to appoint a special envoy,” he said.
