‘Uncalled for,’ India says of China’s foreign minister’s mention of Kashmir at the OIC

*Paromita Das

China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, was chastised by India for making references to Jammu and Kashmir during his speech at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) conference in Islamabad, Pakistan.

The response comes as there are reports that Wang Yi will visit India on Thursday (March 24), but neither side has confirmed this.

In response to media inquiries, Arindam Bagchi, official spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, stated on Wednesday that China has no locus standing to comment on the matter.

“We reject the uncalled-for reference to India made by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his opening ceremony speech,” he said.

Bagchi stated that Kashmir-related issues are “entirely India’s internal affairs.”

“They (China) should be aware that India refrains from passing public judgement on their internal issues,” he said, referring to China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims.

Wang Yi was quoted as saying at the OIC summit on Tuesday, “On the Kashmir issue, we have heard the voices of many Islamic friends again today, and China has the same desire for this,” he said, without going into further detail.

“China will continue to support the people of Palestine and Kashmir in their just liberation struggles,” he said.

Wang Yi, a special guest at the meeting, added, “China will continue to support Islamic countries in using Islamic wisdom to solve contemporary hotspot issues, and firmly hold the right to maintaining stability and promoting peace in its own hands.”

Apart from Wang Yi, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan also addressed the issue of Kashmir, lamenting the OIC’s inability to intervene.

“Despite our population of 1.5 billion, we have failed Kashmir,” he said.