- News>
- Asia
Pak to oppose Russian move to acquire OIC membership
Islamabad, Aug 18: After lobbying hard to prevent India from joining the Organisation of Islamic Conference, Pakistan has said it would oppose moves by Russia to obtain OIC`s membership on grounds that non-Muslim countries were not entitled to be admitted into the ranks of the association of Islamic states.
Islamabad, Aug 18: After lobbying hard to prevent India from joining the Organisation of Islamic Conference, Pakistan has said it would oppose moves by Russia to obtain OIC's membership on grounds that non-Muslim countries were not entitled to be admitted into the ranks of the association of Islamic states.
Reacting to the request made by Russian President
Vladimir Putin to Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad
seeking membership to the 57-member body, an official of the
foreign office said Pakistan would openly oppose granting
membership to any non-Muslim state, including Russia.
Pakistan would outrightly reject any proposal to grant membership to Russia as it believed that such a move would set a wrong precedent, the unnamed official was quoted by daily 'Dawn' as saying.
Russia has sought membership of the OIC on the basis that it has a Muslim population of more than 20 million and Islam is recognised as one of the state religions. Discounting the premise on which Russia had sought membership, the official said "in every country there is a certain percentage of Muslim population and if the OIC starts granting membership on this basis then tomorrow Israel, having a1.5 million Muslim population, will also claim the membership of the OIC." Islamabad's main concern about acceptance of Russia as an OIC member or even as an observer is that it would pave the way for India's entry into the OIC, which Pakistan has been actively trying to block for some years now, the newspaper said, adding the OIC conference of foreign ministers held in Khartoum, Sudan last year came close to admitting India but the proposal was dropped.
BUreau Report
Pakistan would outrightly reject any proposal to grant membership to Russia as it believed that such a move would set a wrong precedent, the unnamed official was quoted by daily 'Dawn' as saying.
Russia has sought membership of the OIC on the basis that it has a Muslim population of more than 20 million and Islam is recognised as one of the state religions. Discounting the premise on which Russia had sought membership, the official said "in every country there is a certain percentage of Muslim population and if the OIC starts granting membership on this basis then tomorrow Israel, having a1.5 million Muslim population, will also claim the membership of the OIC." Islamabad's main concern about acceptance of Russia as an OIC member or even as an observer is that it would pave the way for India's entry into the OIC, which Pakistan has been actively trying to block for some years now, the newspaper said, adding the OIC conference of foreign ministers held in Khartoum, Sudan last year came close to admitting India but the proposal was dropped.
BUreau Report