It is certainly commendable that the Foreign Ministry has managed the OIC meeting in such a short time. At the invitation of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan accepted the hosting of the summit and sent a clear message to the world by hosting a magnificent summit once again after 41 years on the crisis in Afghanistan.
The OIC is a regional forum and such forums are supported by the United Nations. These regional organizations are established under Chapter 8 of the UN Charter.
Following the recent cancellation of the New Zealand cricket team’s tour of Pakistan, the world was unduly concerned about the security situation in Pakistan, but this meeting has given the impression to the whole world that the country is a peaceful country. The role of the military in the arrangements is also commendable.
The OIC meeting on Afghanistan was unique in that it was attended by a large number of observers from key countries, representatives of P5 countries, Australia, Italy, Japan, and other countries, as well as key financial institution officials and the UN Secretary-General. The participation of the representative of the General is also very important and he also made important announcements in the meeting which will undoubtedly benefit Afghanistan.
As far as the OIC is concerned, the charter of the organization has already written in the chapter that if a member country suffers from a humanitarian crisis, the Muslim world will help it. In that sense, it is gratifying that the OIC platform is taking steps to help the people of Afghanistan in their plight.
Pakistan proposed a six-point framework to assist the Afghan people, in which OIC countries should immediately assist the Afghan people, invest in education, health, and technology, strengthen the economic and banking system, and facilitate Afghan institutions to eradicate drugs. Emphasis was placed on the need to work with Afghan authorities on capacity building, dialogue with the authorities on human rights, women’s and girls’ rights in the country, and the prevention of terrorism.
The proposals put forward by Pakistan were seriously considered in the meeting. Three points were made part of the resolution to pave the way for helping the Afghan people. In this regard, the Islamic Development Bank announced the establishment of a trust fund.
The OIC meeting also conveyed an important message to the Afghan Taliban regarding their international obligations, which are enshrined in the Doha accords to allow terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda which pose a threat to the United States and other countries, to operate on Afghan soil. This includes disabling, dismantling terrorist camps, or recruiting and harbouring.
It is noteworthy that the Taliban are facing difficulties in fulfilling their promises and it is possible that through this meeting the Taliban may have informed the world of their difficulties in closed room meetings and for the first time presented their position to the world.
At the meeting, Pakistan pointed out the important point and told the world that if they have any problem with the Taliban government then it has its place but here the survival and human rights of the Afghan people are at stake. Facilities are not available and the World Food Organization says people are starving.
If this issue is not addressed, there is a serious risk of civil war in Afghanistan. Non-state actors will start coming from all over the world and then neither America nor Europe will be able to handle it because it is not uncommon for events like 9/11 to happen in the world which is causing concern to America and Europe because domestic pressure is rising there. Recommendations have reached US President Joe Biden through his own senators and generals.
I spoke to some of the ambassadors who suggest that they have sent positive signals about OIC to their respective countries which you can call secret messages in which all the details are sent. In this regard, the OIC has had some positive effects.
The coverage received in the international media also suggests positive messages. It remains to be seen what the reason is that when it comes to committing to aid, the voice came only from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan that we are ready. In addition, no country made clear promises of assistance during the meeting. Encouragingly, the Islamic Development Bank has certainly found a platform that will facilitate aid to Afghanistan.
It is estimated that after this meeting, Afghanistan will start receiving aid from the world. It would have been better if a meeting of OIC heads of state had been convened under Article 8 of the OIC Charter.
Saudi Arabia is one of the US allies, so it is difficult for Saudi Arabia to go against US foreign policy. We ourselves say that there should be no terrorism from Afghanistan to other countries. The situation in Afghanistan is that civil servants are not getting paid. Institutions there are in decline. Controlling the situation seems beyond the control of the Taliban because fighting as a militant is a different matter and when all the resources are confiscated, running and controlling any institution or government is a different matter.
It is hoped that the Taliban delegation will present its position, which has raised hopes that there will now be some flexibility and the Taliban have also promised that in view of the objective situation, the issues can be resolved in a short period of time. The Afghan Taliban believe that not only is the restoration of their frozen assets and aid necessary to run the government, but also that it is impossible for the government to run its business without lifting US and UN sanctions.
In the eyes of serious circles, if US and UN sanctions are not lifted in the near future, it could indicate that the US may be trying to destabilize Afghanistan through its foreign policy, resulting in plans and policies against China. To be strengthened and projects like CPEC to be stalled.
Translated by: MM News Editorial Team
