Downgrading the OIC

Ironically, given the nature of the summit, Pakistan may have had much to gain if our economic cause could have been pleaded by the leadership. As it is, with the disaster of the FODP, and the growing unreasonable demands of the IMF and World Bank, we could have sought some economic opening from our OIC brothers. This is hardly the time to ignore the OIC, given its symbolism if nothing else. As for the argument that it was the tenuous situation within the country that prevented the Prime Minister and President from leaving, this is hogwash. The President especially has traipsed all over the Western world in the midst of earlier crises. And what of the Foreign Minister who seems to spend most of his working hours either away in some Western capital or in his local constituency. What prevented him from going to this summit where crucial regional leaders from Iran, Turkey and Afghanistan were present? Given the centrality of the Ummah and Muslim causes in Pakistan’s foreign policy since coming into existence in 1947, the nation needs to know why suddenly under the present political dispensation, we have chosen to downgrade the OIC where we have always found our space and played a lead role?