Page 55 - 31MAR2019E

Foreign aFFairs

largest religious group in the country. It at Pulwama (J and K) and the develop- It should go by what it sees as the truth
would be, therefore, unfair to ignore ments that followed had no impact on it. so that its suggestions are taken with the
India by any grouping which has a Mus- Pakistan’s open demand for cancel- deserving seriousness. The OIC should
lim or Islamic tag to it. ling the invitation to India too failed to try to use all the clout it has so that sanity
The announcement regarding the affect the decision of the UAE. Of course, prevails everywhere in the world and
OIC’s invitation to India was simultane- the OIC, on Pakistan’s request, sum- human blood is not shed on any pretext.
ously made on February 23 from Abu moned an emergency meeting of its The OIC’s voice may carry enhanced
Dhabi and New Delhi “as a welcome Kashmir Contact Group at its General appeal if it starts speaking openly
recognition of the presence of 185 mil- Secretariat in Riyadh and expressed its against extremism and terrorism of all
lion Muslims in India (as per the official concern over the heightened tension forms and persuasions as any activity
figures) and of their contribution to its between India and Pakistan, and called involving violence, leading to wars, only
pluralistic ethos, and of India’s contribu- for immediate de-escalation in the complicates the issues concerned. A re-
tion to the Islamic world”. region. But, as reports suggest, this was sort to the use of military muscle or ter-
However, unofficially, India had done as a mere formality so that nothing ror tactics has never solved any problem
already been sounded about it, making came in the way of India’s participation anywhere in the world. What happened
it clear that New Delhi should get ready in the OIC foreign ministers’ conclave. in Afghanistan and countries in the Mid-
to participate in the inaugural plenary It has been generally noticed that dle East should serve as the recent best
of the 46th session of the Council of every OIC session leads to a statement example to come to the conclusion that
Foreign Ministers of the OIC as the Guest on Kashmir, embarrassing for India. The wars can never help solve a problem.
of Honour on March 1-2. This was done responsible grouping of Muslim-majori- Diplomacy and dialogue have been
to prevent India’s opponents (Pakistan, ty countries can contribute significantly found to be far more effective than
to be specific) from making much fuss to easing tensions in South Asia and the use of violent means to settle even
about it as the entire Muslim world had elsewhere if it refuses to see things with a festering dispute. Such a process, a
a view contrary to that of Islamabad. a jaundiced eye, remaining unaffected peaceful one, can take time, but it will
A proposal for the OIC’s invitation to by pressures from any quarters. ultimately bring about the desired result.
India as an observer was made last year The time has come for the OIC to The US, the sole surviving super power,
too by Bangladesh, but it failed to bring think dispassionately and come out with now prefers using diplomacy, mostly its
about the desired result. Since the OIC a view not favouring any nation, even if coercive variety, to settle disputes and
this time had made up its mind in this it happens to be a Muslim-majority one. ease tensions. One can notice this in the
regard after much consultations among cases of North Korea, Iran, Turkey and
its influential members, the killing of • India honoured Sushma Swaraj was the Guest countries in West Asia.
40 CRPF personnel in a terrorist attack of Honour in plenary session of OIC in Abu Dhabi Nowadays the US is busy holding
talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan
so that Washington can withdraw
its remaining 14000 troops from the
war-ravaged country and create an
environment for the Taliban’s partici-
pation in the government in Kabul.
The US has spent billions of dollars
and lost the lives of hundreds of its
well-trained soldiers with the objective
of eliminating the Taliban, but without
success.
Therefore, the OIC should use its
diplomatic skill to mediate between
India and Pakistan to get the issues
involved settled with a view to ensur-
ing peace in the region. There is need
to create an environment so that the
entire humanity, including those living
in South Asia, home to a vast number
of the world’s poor, develop a stake in
peace and progress.
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