India rejects OIC reference to Kashmir

Context: India ‘strongly’ rejected the criticism of its Kashmir policy by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

• India strongly and categorically reject the factually incorrect, gratuitous and unwarranted references to India in resolutions adopted by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the 47th CFM Session in Niamey, Republic of Niger, held on 27-28 November 2020.

About Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)

• The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is an international organization founded in 1969, consisting of 57 member states, with 49 countries being Muslim-majority countries.
• The organisation states that it is "the collective voice of the Muslim world" and works to "safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony".
• The OIC has permanent delegations to the United Nations and the European Union.

• Islam is the second-largest religion in India with roughly 15% of the country's population or 201 million people identifying as adherents of Islam.
• It makes India the country with the largest Muslim population outside Muslim-majority countries.
• However, India's relationship with Pakistan has always been tense and has a direct impact on India-OIC relations, with Pakistan being a founding member of the OIC.
• The reason for opposition to India's entry into the OIC cited by Pakistan is due to the human rights issues and problems faced by the Kashmiris in the Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-rejects-oic-reference-to-kashmir/article33207774.ece?homepage=true