Islamabad contradicts OIC's Dhaka declaration

Though Bangladesh 'successfully hosted' the 45th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Pakistan raised some questions regarding the Dhaka Declaration.

Bangladesh, however, ruled out Pakistan's claim saying that nothing was done without consultation with the OIC secretariat.

"Everything was done following directives and suggestions from the OIC Secretariat," State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam told UNB today.

He said the OIC member states were also consulted as well. "Still, if anyone has any grievances, they should inform the OIC Secretariat first."

Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka on Monday in a press release said the host country circulated the text of the Dhaka Declaration just before the conclusion of the conference.

"It only reflected the views of the host country, and therefore, issued under its own responsibility, signifying that the text was neither discussed nor negotiated by the participating states," the Pakistan High Commission claimed.

The Pakistan High Commission also said the Declaration is without prejudice to the well-established positions of the OIC member states and the organisation, as enshrined in the CFM and Summit documents.

Pakistan, however, said its Foreign Secretary also spoke at length about the tragic plight of the Rohingya Muslims and Palestinians and expressed Pakistan's full solidarity with them.

Bangladesh hosted the event with the theme 'Islamic Values for Sustainable Peace, Solidarity and Development' on May 5-6.

The OIC member states expressed deep concern over the recent systematic brutal acts perpetrated by security forces against the Rohingya Muslim Community in Myanmar that has reached the level of ethnic cleansing, which constitute a serious and blatant violation of international law.

They commended the personal leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in addressing the plight of the most persecuted people in the world and seeking strong international support to resolve the crisis and full implementation of the recommendations put forward by the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State (Annan Commission).

The OIC underlined the importance of OIC members states continuing to remain engaged in the UN system, including in the UNGA and Human Rights Council as well as with other relevant international organisations to address the massive human rights violations of the Rohingya Muslims taking into account the recent developments.

The member states welcomed the resolution adopted on the situation of the Rohingya community of Myanmar and in this regard, agreed to address the accountability issue for the violations of human rights against the Rohingyas in Myanmar through formation of an ad hoc ministerial committee, to be chaired by Gambia.