OIC Conference on Afghanistan and its objectives
THE Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) stands second to the United Nation in terms of the number of its member countries and the population of those countries.
Its very foundation stemmed from a clear mission: to protect the holy places of Islam when they came under at-tack.
Although a host of events have changed the initial purpose, the aim of the organization still hovers around protecting Muslims across the globe.
After 29 years, Pakistan is ready to host another OIC meeting on 19 December to grapple with the impending crisis in Afghanistan.
Despite all issues, the OIC meeting on Afghanistan is going to be held at a time when the region faces a sort of existential crisis. Indeed Saudi Arabia mooted about the conference, and Pakistan offered to host it, which was given a nod by the former.
The first and foremost thing is to understand the regional dynamics in the backdrop of ongoing issues in Afghanistan. Representation and participation of the Taliban and the US cannot be exaggerated – both have been invited though.
The fact is that today Afghans desperately need humanitarian aid and the world cannot show cold shoulder after annihilating the Afghans and Afghanistan for decades for their own vested interests.
The OIC countries should make sure that the Taliban back off from their harsh, brutal and regressive ways and adopt a more humane, tolerant and inclusive government.
Women, minorities and those who were working for the government should not be persecuted because they were doing their jobs.
For now, things are depressing, but with economic aid, global acceptance and managing the group can change their mind on some significant issues like human rights and security assurance.
Today is the high time that the international community invested in Afghanistan. According to a UN survey, almost eighty percent of people do not have sufficient food to eat, clean water to drink or any job to do.
Even those who have been doing jobs in both government and private sectors haven’t been paid since the rise of the Taliban to power.
Pure chaos has wrapped Afghanistan and the responsibility of the global community, especially the US and Islamic world, cannot be emphasized enough.
Apart from basic amenities, health and education must be the priority of the conference. Due to the catastrophe since 15 August and subsequent uncertainty, a huge number of doctors, nurses and other health workers have left Afghanistan.
A month ago, the Foreign Minister of Afghanistan said that healthcare was on the verge of collapse. Education, particularly girls’ education, furthermore, seems to be an anathema to the Taliban.
The Human Rights Watch on October 13 published a report accusing the Taliban of “effectively banning girls from education past primary school by ordering secondary schools only to reopen for boys.” Unless the Taliban do not come to that point, any compromise or hint of acceptance must not be on the table.
The OIC can play its role. Another worrisome aspect that needs to be discussed is security in Afghanistan – both internal and external.
On the one hand, the Afghans who worked for the previous government have been killed en masse, on the other, fault lines are emanating from other terrorist groups like IS-K, which have been rapidly regrouping since the rise of the Taliban.
The IS-K chapter has carried out a host of terrorist attacks on the Afghan population and their very first deadly at-tack took no less than 170 lives back on August 26 at the Kabul Airport.
Despite the lowering of the intensity, the threat is always there and with the passage of time, it is bound to in-crease.
It is better to come up with some strategy to put an end to the growing wave of terror-ism that this region has seen so much.
Pakistan has to play its role in convincing the Taliban and the international community to reach an understanding. In a couple of months, the Pakistani government has successfully spread the message of the Afghan people.
Even though the former itself came under accusations and abetment, its unwavering effort to highlight the daily challenges of the people seems the first step towards consensus.
As a result, this country has some leverage with the Taliban to convince them on human rights and other issues which concern the world. In short, this OIC meeting should be a ray of hope not just for the region but for the organisation as well.
By solving the issue at hand, it can try to restore the lost relevance of the institution. All the Muslim countries should come together and help their brothers and sisters in Afghanistan without any ifs and buts. This is a great time to do so as the disaster in Afghanistan is in no one’s favour.
—The Islamabad-based writer is a Lecturer and editor of the President of Pakistan International Human Rights Commission.
