The OIC countries could have supported Pakistan over its stance
RAWALPINDI: Should Pakistan have decided on not attending the OIC session this month in Abu Dhabi in as much a hurry as it did? The Prime Minister’s peace initiatives are most welcome, but would it not have served us better had we waited to assess the situation rather than announcing our withdrawal from OIC’s inauguration session and repatriation of the Indian Wing Commander? Pakistan was in a better position to bargain and negotiate its position and it should have made use of the opportunity. Had we attended the OIC, the whole world would have seen the positive face of Pakistan, but Pakistan withdrew in a hurry.
Had Pakistan attended the OIC summit, it would have been in a strong position to put forth its narrative, right when India too was attending the inauguration session. The host of the OIC Summit this time, the United Arab Emirates, was a friendly country, which helped us out of our financial crisis. Would they not mind Pakistan’s withdrawal when they were hosting the summit? Pakistan shares good relations with the OIC states, and has been a founding member of the organisation. The countries could have supported Pakistan over its stance, and further gained leverage against India to resolve the Kashmir issue and carry out the mandated referendum that has been due since 1948. By choosing not to attend, Pakistan itself lost its chance to share its position at a global level.
Iqra Siddique
Published in The Express Tribune, March 9th, 2019.
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