Riyadh and Islamabad share the same hopes and vision for settling Kashmir
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The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has held three meetings on Kashmir since August 2019 -- two of them at the foreign ministers' level -- and produced strong statements in support of the Kashmiri cause.
The OIC has also established a special committee to assist the families of Kashmiri martyrs, which meets regularly in Jeddah. Pakistani Consul General Khalid Majid and Pakistan's permanent representative to the OIC, Razwan Sheikh, attended the committee’s most recent session, on July 13, as guests of honor. On the occasion, Consul Majid himself lauded the Kashmir committee as an effective and active body for advocating and defending the Kashmiri cause.
Although headquartered in Jeddah, the OIC is an independent international organization whose leadership comprises dignitaries from different Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, which in December 2019 proposed holding a conference for speakers of parliaments from Muslim countries to discuss the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.
But Pakistan rejected this proposal, much to Riyadh’s surprise.
Saudi Arabia in December 2019 proposed holding a conference for speakers of parliaments from Muslim countries to discuss the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. Riyadh was surprised when Pakistan rejected it.
Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami
The proposal, put forward by the head of the Saudi Shura Council, had great significance as speakers from Muslim parliaments represent the people of the Muslim world. Together the speakers could have forged support for Kashmir at the wider Islamic level.
While Pakistan has not yet explained why it turned down the proposal, it has been consistent in emphasizing that no permanent stability and peace can be achieved in South Asia without finding a just resolution of the Kashmiri dispute, one that would satisfy all parties to the conflict.
As Pakistan reiterates its belief in the necessity of resolving differences through dialogue and peaceful means, Riyadh's and Islamabad's hopes and visions for settling this dispute are identical. All comments of the kingdom's leadership and government show support for Pakistan's position and demands that the United Nations resolutions on Kashmir be implemented.
And indeed, Saudi Arabia's support has nothing to do with sentiments or populist appeals; its policies are informed by political and diplomatic considerations.
The kingdom's leaders shun efforts to exploit Islamic and global causes for specific ideological agendas or personal interests. Instead, they prioritize the interests of their country's friends and brothers. This approach has been employed by Saudi Arabia for many decades and it is one in which words are always followed by actions.
- Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami is the head of the International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah) in Riydah.
Twitter: @mohalsulami