India respond to OIC on inviting Hurriyat chief
text_fieldsNew Delhi: On Thursday, Indian Government officials criticized the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for asking the All Parties Hurriyat Conference chairman to attend its foreign ministerial meeting in Islamabad next week.
Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson for the External Affairs Ministry, said New Delhi did not expect the OIC to engage in anti-India activities and promote terrorism.
During a press briefing, he said India takes seriously such acts intended to undermine the unity of the country and to violate its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Mr Bagchi said that it is regrettable that the OIC remains dominated by one country's political agenda rather than focusing on important development initiatives.
"We have repeatedly called upon the OIC to refrain from allowing vested interests to exploit the platform for comments on India's internal affairs," he said.
Mr Bagchi was responding to a question about the OIC inviting the chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference to attend the group's meeting of foreign ministers in Islamabad on March 22 and 23.