What In The World Can OIC Do?

What In The World Can OIC Do?
From crises to crises, challenges of outright slaughter, the OIC is a semblance of what was envisioned in the early 70s. Gone are the days when Late Shah Faisal and Late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto could dare to speak, impose oil embargoes and dare to challenge the bipolar US and USSR hegemony or seriously question the UN Security council permanent members credibility.

In nearly 50 years since, the cliched statements emanating from the Jeddah based secretariat are all too familiar, empty rhetorical and often vetted statements of nations that the OIC members are beholden to.

The biggest fiasco was the absence of a semblance of honour and dignity when the OIC flagbearers engineered humanitarian tragedy, unfolded in Yemen over the last 5 years plus. It took a regime change far off in the United States to withdraw their tacit and overt support for the perpetrators to pull back.

Then the Kashmir annexation and abrogation of Article 370, with imposition of an endless siege was mishandled by OIC member states favouring the status quo pitched up against some forces of change.

Now the Palestinian tragedy with a threat of annexation of entire Jerusalem housing Masjid e Aqsa and destruction of Gaza through 'precision terrorism' and outright Zionist barbarism is unfolding live and OIC as expected, true to reputation came up with a woefully pathetic call for an end to the violence or thereabouts.

The Malaysia-Pakistan-Turkey-Iran block which dreamt to think independently was rudely nipped in the bud, thanks to the so called charity we receive from our Middle East benefactors, despite the physical security our armed forces have provided for decades with no honest acknowledgement ever.

The changing dynamics of the global polity requires dynamic, proactive responses and not the usual "Oh, I, C" !

It's time for us to demonstrate leadership and reforms. If we want to still try the older formulae, at least the secretariat needs to move to Istanbul or Islamabad as a start. The European Union hasn't fallen apart despite Brexit and a rotating leadership. With the absence of a will to reform the OIC, a PakTurk sit has already been seeded with the Pak Turk Palestine and Sudan block heading to the UN. Let the leadership evolve with the support of the local populations and let an OIA evolve as an organization of Islamic Action.

Prof. Mujtaba Quadri is Head of Nephrology at Maroof international Hospital, Islamabad.