By: Asem Mustafa Awan
The 48th OIC Foreign Ministers’ Conference is starting today in Islamabad. Given the situation in the region and the challenges facing the Muslim world, the OIC moot is gaining special importance. Pakistan has been playing a leading role in the political affairs of Muslim countries. Foreign Ministers, representatives and delegations from 46 Muslim countries are attending this huddle. Given this unique opportunity, Pakistan is playing the pivot in bringing the Muslim Ummah together on a common agenda of respective sovereignty and socioeconomic uplift.
It is noteworthy that trade between 57 Muslim countries is at a very low level. Developed countries have been exploiting Muslim states and in one way or the other the divide and rule jargon reigns supreme and one after the other Muslim states are trapped.
Muslims population nears two billion in the world and there are sovereign states abundant with natural resources and fertile lands. Most of Muslim countries enjoy favourable climate besides geographically advantageous placements on the globe. The sad reality with these boons Muslim world as a whole is politically infertile and economically backward.
On the contrary, the Muslim world faced with dilemma of two pronged attack. The first dimension of the attack is making the countries weak from internal strife with sectarian, regional and ethnic prejudices. The second is armed conflicts pushing Muslim countries to the wars and proxies.
Middle East in particular is a flashing point where the oil rich states are constantly under threats and intrigues chiefly emanating from Israel that in the middle of these states has made the situation all the more worse.
Strained Iran-Saudi relations have severely been affecting the development of the Middle East and they remain the root cause of division in the Muslim world. Muslim countries for decades called for the settlement of the Palestinian and Kashmir disputes in accordance with international laws and resolutions of the United Nations. The developed world particularly the West shuns away from its role in case of Muslim countries and duality of their standards comes to the fore when they come to deal with the issues of the Muslim world.
United Nations passed a resolution condemning Russia for invading Ukraine not many days go while the same has not been witnessed in the case of Palestine and Kashmir where decades have passed and nothing doing.
The European Union ambassadors to Pakistan jointly wrote a letter to the Pakistani government urging it to condemn Russian invasion of Ukraine. Prime Minister Imran Khan termed the letter against diplomatic norms rightly questioning as to why European countries had never written such a letter to India. India has not condemned Russia over the Ukraine war. Why didn’t the EU demand India to do so before asking Pakistan to take side with the Union? Pakistan is being specifically targeted. United Nations declared March 15 as Anti-Islamophobia Day and thanks to Prime Minister Imran Khan who voiced for Muslims globally and made the West to realize its mistakes.
It is hoped the OIC Foreign Ministers’ Conference in Pakistan will come up with a solid strategy that will address the challenges facing the Muslim world once and for all.
The writer is Special Correspondent at The Dayspring
