Biplab Deb counters OIC over J&K, terror remarks

NEW DELHI: India hit back at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the UN General Assembly, rejecting its remarks on Jammu and Kashmir and New Delhi’s actions against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.West Tripura Lok Sabha MP Biplab Kumar Deb, delivering India’s national statement at the UNGA Sixth Committee on Tuesday said the OIC had failed to distinguish between those responsible for terrorism and its victims.“I also address now the statement delivered by the chair of the OIC on India’s focused and measured actions against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, from where terrorist attacks against India were planned and directed,” news agency PTI quoted Deb saying.He added that it is “regrettable that those delivering the statement” are “unable to separate fact from fiction and distinguish between victim and perpetrator”.India asserted that it has the right to defend its citizens against cross-border terrorism and warned that there would be consequences for those who engage in terrorism.Deb also objected to what he called the OIC’s “unwarranted reference” to Jammu and Kashmir. He urged the grouping to instead focus on Pakistan’s “illegal occupation” and alleged rights violations in PoK.“The OIC chair would do better to focus on Pakistan’s illegal occupation, especially in Rawalakot, where wanton killings, brutal violence and the denial of basic rights to the people living there are so visible. Such willful blindness only speaks of bigotry and intolerance,” he said.Saudi Arabia had delivered the OIC statement at the Sixth Committee, which deals with legal issues. The OIC referred to “military escalation in Southeast Asia” and “unjustified strikes” at multiple locations in Pakistan, without naming India.India’s response came as it reiterated its position that cross-border terrorism remains a persistent threat. Deb cited the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 civilians were killed, and said the attack demonstrated the human cost of terrorism.

“The Pahalgam terror attack was a calculated assault on our sovereignty, planned and executed by networks that continue to enjoy state patronage, safe havens, and material and logistical support from across our western border,” he said.Deb also called terrorism one of the gravest threats to international peace and security, stressing that there could be no justification for attacks on civilians.“Terrorism is antithetical to the values of the UN. There can be no justification whatsoever for deliberately targeting civilians. There is no distinction between good and bad terrorism,” he said.