Pakistan-OIC relations
Encyclopedia
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
enjoys an excellent privilege status in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC, formerly the Organisation of the Islamic Conference). In terms of population, it is the OIC second largest member. It status as the Muslim Ummah only nuclear state, boosting a highly discipled world seventh-largest standing military force, with a unique ability to locally produce technologically demanding military hardware within Pakistan
Heavy Industries Taxila
Heavy Industries Taxila is the backbone of Pakistan's engineering industry for the Pakistan Armed Forces, being a combination of multiple industries that has grown into a large military complex since 1980. It consists of six major production units and their support facilities, staffed by over 6500...
, through research at NESCOM
National Engineering and Scientific Commission
National Engineering and Scientific Commission is a civilian controlled Pakistani scientific and research organization carrying out research in many engineering and scientific areas including information technology, fluid dynamics, aerodynamics, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering,...
and DESTO
Defence Science and Technology Organization
The Defence Science and Technology Organization, best known as DESTO, is a defense science and technological sciences government agency of Pakistan Defence Forces located in Rawalpindi, Punjab province of Pakistan. DESTO is an independent science and defence research organization, known for its...
and a high quality labour workforce
Pakistani diaspora
The Pakistani diaspora, or an overseas Pakistani is a Pakistani citizen who has migrated to another country or a person of Pakistani origin who is born outside Pakistan. There are approximately 7 million Pakistanis living abroad...
working in various Muslim countries plays a significant role in its prominence. Pakistan has one of the highest level of economic integration with other Muslim countries.
OIC role in Pakistan-Bangladeshi relationship
It was under the pretext of the 2nd summit of OIC held in LahoreLahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
between 22–24 February 1974, that Pakistan recognised the former or ex-Eastern Pakistan as the People's Republic of Bangladesh. Pakistan had initially not invited Bangladesh to attend the summit. However as members of the OIC group gathered in Lahore, several heads of the state from the Arab world put pressure on Pakistan then prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, to invite Sheikh Mujibur Rehman to attend. A seven member delegation from OIC in fact visited Dacca to invite Mujib to participate in the summit. As a result of the 2nd OIC summit, Pakistan formally recognised Bangladesh on February 22, 1974, and Mujib was flown by a special aircraft from Dacca to Lahore to attend the summit. Bhutto subsequently visited Dacca in July 1974. Established relations on 18 January 1976.
Pakistan's solidarity with Palestine
In line with OIC strong stance against the illegal occupation of Palestine by Israel, Pakistan has continuously adopted strong stance against IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, while maintaining moral solidarity with Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
.
Military cooperation
See also Pakistan military cooperation with Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, UAE, Brunei, Nigeria and Middle Eastern Countries.Pakistan military personnel were the only non-Saudi military personnel to participate in the Grand Mosque Seizure
Grand Mosque Seizure
The Grand Mosque Seizure on November 20, 1979, was an armed attack and takeover by Islamist dissidents of the Al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest place in Islam...
, given the importance of Masjid al-Haram
Masjid al-Haram
Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām is the largest mosque in the world. Located in the city of Mecca, it surrounds the Kaaba, the place which Muslims worldwide turn towards while performing daily prayers and is Islam's holiest place...
in the Muslim world, Pakistan's participation in the seizure shows the high level of respect its military personnel command within the Muslim Ummah
Ummah
Ummah is an Arabic word meaning "community" or "nation." It is commonly used to mean either the collective nation of states, or the whole Arab world...
.
Army collaboration
Army Service Corps School has trained up to 30 officers from Muslim countries like Bangladesh, Bosnia, Maldives, Palestine, Turkey. Pakistan Army Military College of SignalsMilitary College of Signals
Military College of Signals is a military school located at Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan, it is an affiliate of the National University of Sciences and Technology.-Courses offered:...
has trained more than 500 officers from places such as Burma, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Gambia, Ghana, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Kenya, Libya, Malaysia, Oman, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Palestine, Sudan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Turkmenistan, Uganda, UAE and Zambia, most of these countries are member of OIC.
Naval collaboration
More than 1900 officers from Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Palestine, Turkmenistan, Lebanon, Iran, Ghana, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya and Oman have been trained in Pakistan Naval AcademyPakistan Naval Academy
The Pakistan Naval Academy The Pakistan Naval Academy The Pakistan Naval Academy (formerly known as Pakistan Naval Station Rahbar (PNS Rahbar) is a four-year coeducational federal military academy located in Manora Island, Sindh Province, Pakistan...
. Pakistan SSGN
Special Service Group Navy
The Special Service Group Navy, codename SSG, are the Pakistan Navy's elite principal special operations naval force component. Together with the PAF 312th SS Wing, Special Service Group, Pakistan Marines, and Rangers, they form Pakistan Special Operations Command under the joint administrative...
has also trained officers from countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and Iran.
Military technology collaboration
Pakistan developed its nuclear programme with 100s of millions of dollar of aid from Saudi and Libyan oil wealth.OIC on the issue of Kashmir
See also Kashmir conflictKashmir conflict
The Kashmir conflict is a territorial dispute between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir region, the northwesternmost region of South Asia....
, OIC dispute with Republic of India.
Pakistan has always used OIC as a platform to gather support on the Kahmir conflict against the Republic of India. In 1969 King Hassan of Morocco invited the Government of India for the 1969 Summit in Rabat. But after Pakistan then ruler Gen Yahya Khan
Yahya Khan
General Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan Qizilbash, H.Pk, HJ, S.Pk, psc was the third President of Pakistan from 1969 to 1971, following the resignation of Ayub Khan...
threatened to walk out, an embarrassed King Hassan apologised and requested the Indian delegates not to attend the meeting.
During the OIC 1994 Conference in Tehren, Pakistan succeeded in persuading the member countries to create the "OIC Contact Group on Kashmir".
China's representation in OIC through Pakistan
As a goodwill gesture of China's veto power in support of Pakistan at the UN Security Council, for example the Chinese opposition of UNSC resolution at Pakistan's behest demanding a ban on the militant organisation Jama'at-ud-Da'wah following the 2008 Mumbai attacks2008 Mumbai attacks
The 2008 Mumbai attacks were more than 10 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai, India's largest city, by Islamist attackers who came from Pakistan...
, Pakistan assured China, that the OIC will not pass any resolution condemning China's 'strike hard' campaign against the Uighur Muslim minority. Pakistan therefore act as a contact point for China's engagement with the Muslim Ummah.