The latest declaration of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) comes as a big boost to India’s persistent effort to isolate Pakistan, as it did not mention Kashmir, unlike in the last three summits it held. The Tashkent Declaration stressed on bringing immediate solution to the razing unrest in Afghanistan, North Africa and West Asia. It also came heavily on the narratives to counter radicals and the extremists who are fast trying to tarnish Islam???s image. The refreshing stance on Kashmir by the OIC reflects a shift in its earlier position to exploit the situation in this country. This time, despite Pakistan’s attempt to alert the members of the organisation about the situation in Jammu & Kashmir, the OIC declaration remained silent.
What comes clear from this is that the Narendra Modi Government’s robust diplomatic initiatives to reach out to the nations of the OIC at various levels have paid dividend. Though the previous Manmohan Singh Government coined its ???Look West’ strategy in 2005, it failed to make much impact on pursuing the members of the OIC to support India in its fight against cross-border terrorism. However, the situation in 2016 is entirely different for most of the nations of West Asia and the OIC. The looming threat of the Islamic State across the region has forced them to together fight the radical brand of Islam. This could be one of the main reasons why the current OIC Declaration has come forcefully ???against terrorism and violent extremism in all forms and their manifestations???. Showing sensitivity on the issue of Jammu & Kashmir will help India to tighten its relationship with more nations of the group.
