Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s most recent statement on Jammu and Kashmir was criticized by India on Friday, with the nation saying that it “reeks of bigotry.” Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, reacted strongly, stating that such claims only serve to reveal the OIC as a group committed to a “communal agenda being pursued through terrorism.”

On the third anniversary of the suspension of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and its subsequent division, the OIC urged the international community to take action to settle the “conflict” in accordance with the relevant UN rules. “The statement issued by the General Secretariat of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Jammu and Kashmir today reeks of bigotry,” Bagchi said.

Jammu and Kashmir, a Union Territory, “is and will remain an integral and inalienable” part of India, he claimed. According to Bagchi, “it presently reaps the rewards of socio-economic growth and development as a result of long awaited reforms made three years ago.

READ | ‘No proposal for bilateral trade with Afghanistan’: Centre tells Lok Sabha

“The OIC General Secretariat, however, continues to issue statements on Jammu and Kashmir at the behest of a serial violator of human rights and notorious promoter of cross-border, regional and international terrorism,” he said in a direct reference to Pakistan.

Such remarks simply serve to highlight the OIC as a group committed to a political objective being advanced through terrorism, he continued. Bagchi further added that Pakistan has been working hard to bring the Kashmir issue to a global audience.

After New Delhi stated on August 5, 2019, that it had decided to split Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories and revoke the state’s unique powers, the neighbouring nation intensified its anti-India campaign.

READ | Kerala government removes IAS Sriram Venkitaraman from DM post within 6 days: Here’s what happened

(With inputs from PTI)