*ISLAMABAD: *Pakistan has sought ‘proportional representation’ of Muslimcountries in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), urging the53-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to play a greater rolein discussions over reforms in the main decision-making body.
The proposal was put forward by Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua during atwo-day meeting of the OIC foreign ministers which concluded in Dhaka,Bangladesh on Sunday.
Former foreign minister Khawaja Asif was supposed to lead the Pakistanidelegation but Janjua had to take his place after he was disqualified by ahigh court for hiding his employment in a foreign country.
Speaking at the meeting, the foreign secretary said the OIC should play asignificant role in discussions over the reform of the Security Council.
“Our countries constitute more than one-fourth of the UN membership; weshould, therefore, have proportional representation on an expanded SecurityCouncil, especially since the council’s agenda contains many items ofdirect concern to Islamic countries,” she suggested to the participants.
She further said as the world’s second largest inter-governmentalorganisation, the OIC should play a pro-active role in the reform processand seek adequate representation in the reformed Security Council as laiddown in numerous OIC resolutions.
In recent years there have been discussions and specific proposals toexpand the Security Council. One of the contenders is India. However, therehas been no breakthrough so far given lack of consensus on the issue.
The Security Council has currently five permanent members — the US, China,Russia, Britain and France.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by the Foreign Office on Sunday said one ofthe main highlights of the OIC meeting in Dhaka was the strong supportdemonstrated by the member states to the just cause of the Kashmiri peoplethrough adoption of resolutions and endorsement of the report of therecently held OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir.
Both the resolutions and the report of the Contact Group reaffirmed OIC’ssupport for the realisation of the right of Kashmiri people toself-determination in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions,it said.
The Contact Group report drew attention to the rise in gross and systematichuman rights violations in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, terming them crimesagainst humanity.
The report also rejected attempts to equate the peaceful indigenousstruggle for self-determination with terrorism.
The Memorandum presented by the True Representatives of the Kashmiri peopleto the OIC Secretary General was annexed to the report.
The foreign secretary, in her statement at the conference, as well asduring a brainstorming session on humanitarian challenges and in hermeetings inter alia, focused on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. She alsothanked the OIC member states for their consistent support to the cause.
The foreign secretary also spoke at length about the tragic plight of theRohingya Muslims and Palestinians and expressed Pakistan’s full solidaritywith them.