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Issue:January' 2018

INDIAN DIPLOMACY

A historic victory at OIC

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj at the foreign ministers' meet of the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation states in Abu Dhabi.

Syed Nooruzzaman

Indian diplomacy made a major gain a few weeks back when it thwarted Pakistan's attempts to prevent New Delhi from getting recognised as home to the second largest Muslim population in the world. India thus succeeded in highlighting its plural character in a big way with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj participating in the plenary session of the strategically significant 50-year-old Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates capital, on March 1 as a Guest of Honour. The victory was registered after a long diplomatic drive that began with the very foundation of the OIC in 1969. India was proudly represented at a gathering of representatives from 57 Muslimmajority nations as a matter of right.

Indian diplomacy added a new feather to its cap.

India got the OIC invitation not as a favour but “as a welcome recognition of the presence of 185 million Muslims in India (as per the official figures) and of their contribution to its pluralistic ethos.” India's participation in the inaugural plenary of the 46th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers as the Guest of Honour on March 1-2 provided incontrovertible proof that all Muslim-majority countries, excepting Pakistan, looked at New Delhi differently, holding a view contrary to that of Islamabad.

Despite Pakistani machinations against India, UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, who, being a leader of the host country, remained steadfast in his decision and exercised his right to invite India by arguing that a “friendly country has been named as the Guest of Honour in view of its great global political stature as well as its timehonoured and deeply rooted cultural and historical legacy, and its important Islamic component.” Another key OIC member, Saudi Arabia, supported the UAE decision in favour of India by highlighting New Delhi's standing in the comity of nations.

Accepting the historic invitation, India said, “We see this invitation as the desire of the enlightened leadership of the UAE to go beyond our rapidly growing close bilateral ties and forge a true multifaceted partnership at the multilateral and international level.” India considers it as a “milestone in our comprehensive strategic partnership with the UAE”.

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed The OIC gesture, the first such development after the organisation was set up as a denominational entity, has special significance from various angles, including its unfair treatment to India at the initial stage. The first such invitation to India asking for sending an official delegation to the Islamic Summit Conference (as it was then called) in Rabat, Morocco, in September 1969, was cancelled at the 11th hour owing to Pakistan's aggressive lobbying. Then senior Congress leader Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, who later became India's President, had already reached Morocco to take part in the conference, but he had to come back empty-handed as India was "de-invited" a little before the OIC session began.
India could not take it lying down and reacted angrily. The Rabat fiasco led to the straining of India's relations not only with Morocco but also with Jordan, which too displayed a negative and highly deplorable attitude towards India. New Delhi withdrew its Ambassador from Rabat (Morocco) and charge de'affaires from Amman (Jordan).

However, the bitter past now lies buried and for good. India today is not what it was then as it, along with China, is believed to be going to transform the 21st century into an Asian century. India has achieved the status of the world's fastest growing, third largest in purchasing power parity and sixth largest economy in terms of GDP with an impeccable track record on different fronts. The growth cake is happily shared by all sections of the population, including Muslims.

Therefore, any grouping in which India shows its interest is unlikely to ignore it.

India, in fact, got the OIC invitation not as a favour but “as a welcome recognition of the presence of 185 million Muslims in India (as per the official figures) and of their contribution to its pluralistic ethos.” India's participation in the inaugural plenary of the 46th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers as the Guest of Honour on March 1-2 provided incontrovertible proof that all Muslim-majority countries, excepting Pakistan, looked at New Delhi differently, holding a view contrary to that of Islamabad.

Last year Bangladesh, too, made a proposal for an OIC invitation to India as an observer at its previous session but in vain.

The responsible grouping of Muslimmajority countries can contribute to easing tensions in South Asia and elsewhere if it refuses to see things with a jaundiced eye.

The US, the sole surviving super power, now prefers using diplomacy, mostly its coercive variety, to settle disputes and ease tensions. One can notice this in the cases of North Korea, Iran, Turkey and countries in West Asia.

Since the OIC this time had made up its mind to ensure India's participation in its Abu Dhabi session after much consultations among its influential members, the killing of 40 CRPF personnel in a terrorist attack at Pulwama (J and K) and the developments that followed had no impact on it. Pakistan's open lobbying for withdrawal of the invitation to India proved to be of no use. It is a different matter that the OIC, on Pakistan's request, summoned an emergency meeting of its Kashmir Contact Group at its General Secretariat in Riyadh and expressed concern over the heightened tension between India and Pakistan, and called for immediate deescalation in the region.

But, as reports suggest, this was done as a mere formality so that nothing came in the way of India's participation in the OIC conclave.

It has been generally noticed that every OIC session leads to a statement on Kashmir, embarrassing for India. The responsible grouping of Muslimmajority countries can contribute to easing tensions in South Asia and elsewhere if it refuses to see things with a jaundiced eye, remaining unaffected by pressures from any quarters, including Pakistan.

The time has come for the OIC to play a constructive role for eliminating the demon of terrorism, getting sustenance from Pakistan.

It should go by what is the truth as the grouping sees it so that its reactions and suggestions are taken with greater seriousness. It should try to ensure that sanity prevails everywhere in the world and human blood is not shed on any pretext.

The OIC's voice may carry enhanced appeal if it starts speaking openly against extremism and terrorism of all forms and shades as any activity involving violence, leading to war, only complicates the issues concerned. A resort to the use of military muscle or terror tactics has never solved any problem anywhere in the world. What happened in Afghanistan and countries in the Middle East should serve as the recent best example to come to the conclusion that wars can never help solve a problem.

Diplomacy and dialogue have been found to be far more effective than the use of violent means to settle even a festering dispute. Such a process, a peaceful one, can take time, but it will ultimately bring about the desired result. The US, the sole surviving super power, now prefers using diplomacy, mostly its coercive variety, to settle disputes and ease tensions. One can notice this in the cases of North Korea, Iran, Turkey and countries in West Asia.

Nowadays it is busy holding talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan so that Washington can withdraw its remaining 14000 troops from the warravaged country and create an environment for the Taliban's participation in the government in Kabul. The US has spent billions of dollars and lost the lives of hundreds of its welltrained soldiers to eliminate 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 ensuring 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, develops a stake in peace and progress.