It's a diplomatic victory: Rajnath on OIC invite to India

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday hailed Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) invite to India as a "diplomatic victory", asserting that the entire world stood together against the scourge of terrorism.

"Entire world stands together against terrorism. No representative of India used to be invited to Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) but India's image has become such, that OIC invited India for the first time. It is a diplomatic victory," Rajnath said at a rally here.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was invited as a 'Guest of Honour' to attend a conclave of the OIC in Abu Dhabi. She addressed the plenary session of the conference, which was boycotted by Pakistan, as a protest against the invitation to India for the first time in the grouping's 50-year-old history.

In her speech, Swaraj said the fight against terrorism is not against any religion but underlined that the countries providing shelter and funding to it, must be asked to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism based in their countries, in an apparent reference to Pakistan.

The minister also underlined that those indulging in terrorism are resorting to "distortion of religion" and giving different names to the menace to justify it.

Swaraj asserted that "senseless terrorist violence" was destroying lives, destabilising regions, and putting the world at great peril as its "lethality" was increasing and "toll rising".

She also spoke about India's civilisational links and close partnership with the Muslim countries across the world.