An important and crucial agenda will be awaiting foreign ministers attending the Organization of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) conference starting in Islamabad today for two days that includes the situation in Kashmir, Palestine and Afghanistan while also taking up the issue of Islamophobia. Pakistan hosting makes the even an important one diplomatically and must therefore be executed smoothly and without incident; domestic politics must not interfere.
For Pakistan, Kashmir and Afghanistan will be central topics of discussion that affect the country directly. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Afghanistan, that is in the grips of a severe humanitarian crisis, has been somewhat forgotten. Pakistan needs all the support from OIC countries that it can get to provide crucial assistance to Afghanistan as any major instability there will eventually lead to security problems here. As things stand, terrorism incidents in Pakistan have steadily increased in frequency and intensity since the Taliban took Kabul. Indian atrocities in Kashmir continue unabated, threatening the very existence of the indigenous people there, let alone their right to self-determination. Since 2019, when the crisis in the valley escalated, the OIC has done little more than issue generic condemnations. It must step up and call-out India on the world stage,
Unfortunately, over the years, the OIC has come up short, leaving much to be desired as it fails to develop consensus amongst members to take collective action on issues facing Muslims around the world, especially in conflicts where gross human rights violations are rampant. That the OIC is made up of some of the most oil rich countries in the world but is unable to effectively leverage that strength to its advantage, forcing world powers to pay attention to its demands, means that there are differences between member countries, which is why there are no meaningful results to speak of.
UNGA’s recent adoption of a resolution introduced by Pakistan on behalf of the OIC proclaiming March 15 as International Day to Combat Islamophobia is a testament to what is possible if action is taken as a unit and pursued aggressively with determination for a positive result. It is hoped that OIC is able to resolve some of its internal problems and resurge as a more formidable force advocating for Muslims’ rights across the world.
