News-

• Voiced concern over the human rights situation in Kashmir
• Discussed the communication restrictions put in place in Kashmir.
• The group demanded that India “rescind” its actions in Kashmir and reiterate its commitment to abide by the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
• It said India should allow access to Jammu and Kashmir to human rights organisations and international media to ascertain and report on the situation there.
• India replied that the abrogation of Article 370 is its “internal matter”.

Background-

• Founded in 1969, 57 member states, 53 countries being Muslim-majority countries.
• The organisation states that it is “the collective voice of the Muslim world” and works to “safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony”.
• The Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUOICM) was established in Iran in 1999,. Only OIC members are entitled to membership in the union
• The OIC supports a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
• The OIC has called for boycott of Israeli products in effort to pressure Israel into ending the occupation of the Palestinian territories.
• Condemned the human rights violations against the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar
• Raised the issue of China’s Xinjiang re-education camps and human rights abuses against the Uyghur Muslim minority in 2018

India – OIC Relation-

• India’s relationship with Pakistan has always been tense and has a direct impact on India-OIC relations, with Pakistan being a founding member of the OIC. India has pushed for the OIC to accept India as a member, Pakistan opposes India’s entry into the OIC
• For the first time in five decades, the United Arab Emirates invited foreign minister of India Sushma Swaraj to attend the inaugural plenary 46th meeting of OIC foreign ministers. (Pakistan boycotted the meet)
• From the mid-1990s, when this Contact Group was formed, it has issued several statements on behalf of Pakistan (on Kashmir issue)
• The United Arab Emirates, for instance, conferred the Order of “Zayed”, its highest civilian award on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, more than a week after New Delhi’s moves on Article 370, and declared that Kashmir was India’s internal matter.

Way forward

• Asking Pakistan to change its state policy on terrorism
• Imran Khan ensure that Pakistan abjures support to Kashmir-centric groups such as the Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Lashkar-e-Taliban
• The OIC would do a lot better if it did something useful to better the lot of its members or mediate between warring Saudi Arabia and Yemen, for instance.

Conclusion-

• The organisation, constituted on religious lines, but seeking to fulfil geopolitical interests, needs reforms from within.
• The OIC’s record of conflict resolution when it comes to issues between OIC member states is poor and must be improved