Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Quershi has expressed anguish over the failure of Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) to convene a meeting of its Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) on Kashmir, for which Pakistan has been persistently pushing the 57 member block of Muslim countries, since India annexed occupied Kashmir last August. In a talk show of a private TV Channel, the Foreign minister, in contrast to his usual sober style of reasoning, was flamboyant while asking Saudi Arabia to demonstrate leadership of the organisation and shun reluctance on calling the CFM meeting on Kashmir. On the contrary UNSC has held its third meeting on Pakistan’s request in a year to discuss the situation arising out of the siege of occupied Kashmir that India has imposed on August 5, 2019. Shah Mehmood Qureshi renewed his request for this meeting and made it clear if it was not convened then he will be compelled to ask Prime Minister Imran Khan to call a meeting of Islamic countries that are ready to stand with Pakistan on the issue of Kashmir and will never hesitate to support the oppressed Kashmiris. It merits mention that from among non-Arab OIC countries, Turkey, Iran and Malaysia had lent their support to Pakistan by opposing the annexation of occupied Kashmir. The Foreign Minister reminded reminded Saudi Arabia that it was on their request that Pakistan skipped Kuala Lumpur Summit. Over the past three decades OIC has remained a docile and redundant organisation. It has remained a mere spectator on the atrocities that Israel is perpetrating on Palestinians. It did not take any diplomatic initiative to save Iraq from US led wars and miserably failed to play a positive role to end the civil war in Libya and Syria. Likewise in Saudi-Qatar standoff it remained static. In the US-Iran tension Arab members of OIC have virtually divided the organisation on Arab and Ajam lines. Market of India and investment opportunities of billions of dollars there are more important for the oil rich Arab countries than supporting Pakistan on Kashmir and taking a bold stand on the marginalisation of 200 million Indian Muslims. It was Dr.Mahatir Mohammad, former Prime Minister of Malaysia, who put at risk bilateral trade worth billions of dollars, while condemning the enforcement Citizens Amendment Act, 2019 in India. The role of OIC on Kashmir dispute has never been an active one. Since the start of Kashmiri Intifada in 1989, serious concern has not been shown on human rights violations in the occupied Kashmir.
