India rejects OIC Contact Group's J&K statement, tells bloc to counsel Pakistan
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
India on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, categorically rejected the references made to the country in the Joint Communique of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)'s so-called Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir, calling them 'unwarranted and factually incorrect' and asserting that the grouping has no locus standi to pronounce on matters strictly internal to India.
India's Official Position
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reaffirmed that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are an 'integral and inalienable' part of India. In a pointed statement, the MEA said: 'No amount of repetition of politically motivated propaganda can change this reality.'
The MEA further warned that the OIC's repeated endorsement of what it called 'motivated narratives' only raises serious questions about the bloc's own credibility. The rejection marks the latest in a sustained pattern of India pushing back against OIC pronouncements on Jammu and Kashmir.
India Turns the Spotlight on Pakistan
Going beyond a straightforward rebuttal, the MEA advised the OIC to redirect its attention toward Pakistan, which it described as having a 'well-documented record of supporting and sponsoring terrorism.'
The statement read: 'Instead of offering a platform to Pakistan to peddle its fabricated and motivated propaganda, OIC will be better advised to counsel Pakistan… to look inwards and address the continuing threat of terrorism emanating from territories under its control.' This framing — casting Pakistan as the party that requires scrutiny rather than India — reflects New Delhi's consistent diplomatic counter-strategy at multilateral forums.
Background: India's Rejection at the UN Human Rights Council
This is not the first time India has rejected OIC references to Jammu and Kashmir this year. In June, at the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council, Anupama Singh, First Secretary at India's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, exercised the right of reply against both Pakistan and the OIC.
Singh stated: 'Jammu and Kashmir was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India. The only unresolved issue is Pakistan's illegal occupation of Indian territories and their return.'
She also accused Pakistan of pursuing terrorism as an instrument of state policy while simultaneously claiming victimhood. 'This is the country where the sitting Defence Minister boasts of hosting, training, and deploying terrorists as state policy, and yet Pakistan calls itself a victim of terrorism,' she said, describing it as a 'Frankenstein state which is shocked when its own monster bites back.'
What This Signals Diplomatically
India's latest rejection follows a well-established playbook: deny legitimacy to any external body's involvement in what New Delhi insists is a bilateral or purely internal matter, while simultaneously shifting focus to Pakistan's conduct on terrorism. Notably, India's language has grown sharper with each iteration — from 'baseless' in June to 'fabricated' and 'politically motivated' in the latest statement.
This comes amid broader India-Pakistan tensions and continued unrest in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), which Singh attributed to 'decades of repression, military control, and the denial of fundamental rights.'
With India and Pakistan's diplomatic postures showing no signs of convergence, the OIC Contact Group's statements are likely to continue generating pointed rebuttals from New Delhi.