October 19, 2003 ☼ Foreign Affairs

The News International and other Pakistani newspapers have been reporting how Pakistan is taking a leading role in the OIC. As usual the OIC has voiced its support for the right to self-determination of the Kashmiris.

Its difficult for anyone to take the OIC seriously. India has 150 million Muslim, but is not allowed to participate in OIC proceedings. It appears that the right to representation of 150 million Indian members of the Ummah are not as important as those of the Kashmiris. The unelected, breakaway faction of the APHC led by Geelani and propped up by Pakistan is the representative of the Kashmiris!

Except for Malaysia, and Indonesia to some extent, there is not one member in the OIC which gives democratic rights to its own people.

For the OIC to be taken seriously it must champion the modernisation and democratisation of the Ummah. Given its current leadership, this is not going to happen in a very long time.

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