OIC8217;s resolve

India should not be too miffed at the recent actions of the oddly-named Organisation of Islamic Conference OIC, which met in Ou-gadougo...

India should not be too miffed at the recent actions of the oddly-named Organisation of Islamic Conference OIC, which met in Ou-gadougou last week. For those left bamboozled, the city is the capital of Burkina Faso, whose claim to fame is that it is a decent enough tourist destination. The local music, too, is strong stuff, very insistent in its beat. Perhaps under the influence of this music, which is reputed to have the same therapeutic effect as cocaine, the foreign ministers of the Islamic countries passed a resolution. Nay, two. One on Kargil and the other on Kashmir in general. The former lauded what it was pleased to call quot;Pakistan8217;s peace initiativesquot;. The latter condemned human rights abuses in Kashmir. But, if reiteration is not too odious, India should not be cheesed off about it. To pass resolutions is the core business of the OIC. In fact, it is its only business, and is taken so seriously that often resolutions that have neither been discussed nor entirely understood are passed. Deadlines mustbe met, after all. The good work must go on.

It is difficult to recall when the OIC last achieved anything meaningful. Its most notable failure was its complete impotence in the face of the escalation that led to the Iran-Iraq War. An organisation for Islamic unity which cannot prevent two Islamic nations from going for each other8217;s throats is less effective than even the United Nations. It was a feat without parallel in the history of cooperation between nations. But, despite the impotence of the OIC, one cannot ignore what its Secretary General, Izzuddin Laraki, has assured the people of Kashmir: that both the OIC and the Muslim Ummah will play quot;an active rolequot; in securing them their right to self-determination. The assurance was conveyed th-rough Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Barrister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry. One wonders what the triple-barrelled gentleman was doing in a meeting of foreign ministers.If the OIC is to have any credibility, it should dissociate itself from the little jihads thatthe underemployed fighters of Afghanistan are running and shall continue to run all over the world. It should, instead, try to do something about the Talibanisation that has begun to infect the Islamic world outside Afghanistan. Afghan jihadis are the frontline soldiers of Pakistan in the Kargil conflict. In fact, the madrasas of Pakistan are no better than recruitment centres for the jihad. Earlier, the Taliban caused a problem between Pakistan and other Islamic nations and emissaries had to be sent out by Islamabad to pour oil on troubled waters. US security agencies are expecting the creation of an agglomeration of increasingly fundamentalist states in Central Asia. And after its brief encounter with Osama bin Laden, the Americans have ad-opted an extremely strong line against fundamentalism. This is what the OIC should really be concerned about this equation between Islam and fundamentalism. And, of course, terrorism. Since Pakistan is responsible for more terror than any other Islamic nation, the OICshould not be so eager to endorse its expansionist projects. It should certainly not promise to play an quot;active rolequot; in them. It might, however, want to do something su-pine and harmless. Like, pass another resolution.