Rejecting the statement issued by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) over the Supreme Court judgment, upholding the Centre’s decision to revoke Article 370 from the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Wednesday said it was “ill-informed and ill-intended”.
An official release quoting the MEA spokesperson on Wednesday stated, “India rejects the statement issued by the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on a judgement of the Indian Supreme Court. It is both ill-informed and ill-intended.”
The spokesperson added in the release that such statements only undermine OIC’s credibility.
“That OIC does so at the behest of a serial violator of human rights and an unrepentant promoter of cross-border terrorism makes its action even more questionable. Such statements only undermine OIC’s credibility,” Bagchi added.
The response by the MEA spokesperson came a day after the OIC, on Tuesday, frowned on the apex court’s endorsement of the revocation of Article 370, stating that it “reiterates its call to reverse all illegal and unilateral measures taken since 5 August 2019 aimed at changing the internationally recognised disputed status of the territory”.
The Rajya Sabha, on Monday, unanimously passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 with a voice vote, amending key laws in the Union Territory aimed at providing “rights to those who faced injustice”.
Both the Bills were passed last week by the Lok Sabha.
The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 is aimed at amending the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004, which provides reservation in jobs and admission to professional institutions to members of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and other socially and educationally backward classes.
The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 seeks to amend the 2019 Act and provide representation in the Legislative Assembly to the Kashmiri Migrants and displaced persons from the PoK.
It also proposes to nominate two members from the Kashmiri migrant community and one person representing the displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to the Legislative Assembly once statehood is restored to Jammu and Kashmir.
The amendment Bill also proposes to increase the number of seats in the legislative assembly to 90 from 83.
The Bills were jointly discussed a few hours after the Supreme Court passed a judgement upholding the constitutional validity of the Executive Order abrogating Article 370 of the Constitution and scrapping statehood for Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha on the two Bills, Union Minister Amit Shah said both the draft legislations will be passed by consensus and written in golden letters in the history of Jammu and Kashmir as well as the country. (ANI)
