Indonesia: Indian Ambassador to Indonesia, Sandeep Chakravorty, on Friday expressed concerns that anti-India resolutions by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) hurt Indian Muslims.
He also thanked Indonesia for supporting India’s stand on terrorism, thwarting Pakistan’s effort to criticise India on the Kashmir issue at a recent meeting of OIC Parliamentary Union held in Jakarta.
Chakravorty questioned why countries friendly to India, including OIC members, would support such resolutions.
Chakravorty highlighted that India is home to one of the largest Muslim populations globally, emphasizing the need for OIC countries to be mindful of this demographic reality.
“Anti-India resolutions of OIC countries hurts Indian muslims… Indonesia is a friend of India, why should other friends of India and OIC countries support this kind of resolution? We should be mindful that India is home to one of the largest Muslim populations in the world…,” said the Indian Ambassador to Indonesia.
Notably, Pakistan’s efforts to include criticism of India on the Kashmir issue in the OIC document were unsuccessful, thanks to the opposition from Indonesia, Egypt, and Bahrain.
Pakistan’s efforts to rally the 57-member OIC against India have been met with resistance. Many OIC member countries, which have cordial relations with India, have refused to toe Pakistan’s line, dealing a blow to its diplomatic efforts.
The Ambassador urged OIC countries that are friends of India to reconsider their stance on these resolutions. He emphasized the importance of recognizing India’s diverse population and its commitment to unity in diversity.
Chakravorty also emphasized the strong message conveyed by India’s actions against terrorism, which has resonated with Indonesia, a country that has also faced terrorism. Both nations, with significant Muslim populations, share a mutual understanding of the threat posed by terrorism.
“The message that has been conveyed strongly is that whole India is behind the action that the government has taken, terrorism has no place in the modern world, and the Government of India has a zero tolerance policy. I think this has found resonance from the Indonesian side, as Indonesia suffers from terrorism. It has the largest Muslim population in the world, while India has the second-largest population, so there is a mutual understanding,” Chakravorty said.