M.

Kashif Khan

The Islamic summit conference at Lahore, 1974

The organization of Islamic summit conference is the symbol of Islamic brotherhood and fraternity. It is the biggest and the most active organization of Muslim countries. It was established in 1969 so that the scattered strength of Muslims may be united and unity among the Muslim countries may be strengthened. The Islamic conference was attended by the 37 countries of Africa and Asia, which was held in February 22 to 24, 1974. This conference comprised the heads of state, foreign ministers, leaders and other high dignitaries of Muslim countries. It was an epoc-making conferenceand naturally its impact on the world was greater than that of the first conference. It was sponsored by Pakistan with the assistance of Saudi Arabias king Faisal. The countries that participated in the conference had come out of the clutches of foreign imperialism during the last twenty-five years and many were living a backward life. In spite of the social differences, the common objective of these countries was to serve Islam.

The Islamic summit conference was held under the chairmanship of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto with a recitation from the holy Quran. In his speech, PM Bhutto said that the Middle East situation was an outgrowth of the problem of Palestine and its core was Jerusalem. Explaining the object of the summit conference, he urged that the states that assembled at Lahore were determinedto struggle for the restoration of the legal rights of the people of Palestine. Bhutto also declared that the summit objective was peace not war and a balanced world order for all people.He focused on developing close relations among Muslim countries and also discussed the Middle Eastern Scenario.

The conference was aimed at demanding that Israeli troops must be withdrawn from the occupied Arab territories. Moreover, a committee was established to find methods to eradicate poverty,disease and ignorance. The Muslim leaders conceived the establishment of a framework of political and economic co-operation to foster true Muslim unity. In the conference, Pakistan also suggested ideato strengtheneconomic co-operation between the Muslim statesand recommendations of trade, finance and technical cooperation were adopted.

With Pakistans proposals, Finance Ministers of the Islamic countries approved the Articles of agreement of the Islamic Development Bank in August 1974. The Islamic Development Bank was set up in this meeting and it became operativewith fixed revenue of two billion dollars, to a much extent drawn from oil-producing states. On Bhutto recommendation, the leaders of the conference agreed to set up a committee of Representatives and Expertsand an Islamic unity crystallized. The objective of these new institutions was to provide material and cultural assistance for the Muslim unity.

Further, the recognition of Bangladesh and the participation of Mujib-ur-Rahman was another issue. The other Muslim countries saw it necessary that Bangladesh, being a Muslim majority country must be represented in the Islamic Summit Conference. Thereby, they started working on this very aim and sounded Mujib-ur-Rahman through various means. Mujib-ur-Rahman objection for a rapprochement was the question of recognition of equal and independent state. On the other hand, Prime Minister Bhutto ascertained the will of National Assembly for recognition but he postponed the decision forfeasible opportunity. A delegation of Muslim Foreign Ministers met withMujib-ur-Rahman at Decca a day before the Conference and they brought the news that Mujib-ur-Rahmanwould attend the conference.Bhutto declared the

recognition of Bangladesh. In announcing the recognition, he made it clear that he was not doing it under any pressure. He claimed that he had taken this decision with the consideration of the interest of Pakistan. He said that he was not happy for taking this decision but sometime right decisions were painful. Consequently, Mujib-ur-Rahman,as the head of Bangladeshi delegation arrived at conference in the morning of February 20,1974.

The contentious and controversial issue was the Palestine problem which demoralized the feelings of Muslim World. Three days before the conference, seventeen Foreign Ministers met in two sessions and finalized the agenda. They raised the issues like the situation in the Middle East, the Palestine Cause and the strong attachment of the Muslimsof Jerusalem and the firm determination of their governments to liberate it. Moreover, the burning of the Holy Mosque of Jerusalem and the fate and future of Palestine clinched the issue in favor of Palestine. The presence of Zionist state in Jerusalem and the desecration of Masjid-al-Aqsa enraged the Muslims all over the world. It was cleared in this conference, that, the question of imperialism is dying and in a declining condition, and it is out of question for the western imperialism to stay in Palestine under the cover of Jewish state.

The Islamic summit conference started at 6 p.m. under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. In the opening speech, PM Bhutto said that the Middle Eastern Situation was anoutcome of the problem of Palestine and its center was Jerusalem. The idea of the conference is to iron out the differences between the continents, between the aligned and nonaligned, between the members of the developing world. Explaining further, the object of the conference, he said that the states that assembled atLahore were committed to struggle for the reinstatement of the licit rights of Palestinian people.

He said that the Muslim countries were now able to play role to get cooperation amongst them and with the rest of the world. He emphasized that the basic elements of Middle East settlements were the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all occupied Arab territories, reinstatement of Jerusalemto the Arabs and the revival of the Palestine Peoples rights. The summit of the poor as he identified the fixed meeting, would take direct to soften tensions among third world nations and direct their resources and energies at the complementary goals of modernization and progressive change. Many Muslim leaders addressed, and rendered their point of views and proposals and some of the particular statements by the significant leaders outlined in the following paragraphs.

On the first day of Islamic summit conference, the first speaker at the opening session was the Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, after the address of Bhutto. He outlined that the Islamic Summit conference would result in a stand commensurate with the gravity of the situation in the Middle East. He said, It is indeed a matter of great importance that the leaders of 700 million Muslims should meet at Summit level with the aim of defending the holy places of Islam and of supporting the just Arab cause.

He explained the hope that the Lahore conference would enhance existing links between "our States and enable us to serve our peoples and to realize their objectives in a better way".Further, he claimed that the October war continuing in the one way or another. It had not come to an end and it would not until complete Israeli withdrawal was affected and the Arab people of Palestine were assured of their legitimate rights.

Libyan Arab Republic President, Mohammad Muammer Gaddafi, also spoke on the first day. He called for a united front for the liberation of Jerusalem and said all resources of the Muslim world should be mobilized to attain this respected goal. He added, Islam is a religion of right and the world of Islam today was determined to fight for their righteous cause till the final victory.

He discussed the history of the creation of the State of Israel on the Arab soil and the displacements of the Muslims of Palestine from their home and hearths. He said that the inhuman treatment committed to the Arab population of Palestine could not be justified under any canon of international law.If the rights of the Palestine people were not restored by other ways, the Islamic countries mustdispatch volunteers and arms for this purpose. He said the Islamic countries should use volunteers and their weapons for the sacred cause of liberating the Qibla-iAwwal from Zionist grip. He said the oil-producing countries would adopt a rational policy towards those among them which had supported the Arab cause

President HouariBoumedienne of Algeria debated generally on the second day of the Islamic Summit Conference. He appealed for adding a material contract to the existing spiritual link among the Muslims. Discussing the links between the spiritual and the material, he said that the spiritual tie was there, it only needed to be embodied and to assume its material shape through co-operation in various fields, particularly the economic one. He reiterated that if we want to speak of Islam and Islamic solidarity, we have to come out of this meeting with two resolutions, the first should be in support of our just cause: the cause of the Arab Mashriq, Palestine and Jerusalem. Another resolution was regarding the elaboration of a practical formula for cooperation among the Islamic countries.

Moreover, describing the Third World comprising African and Asian Countries as well as nonaligned ones, he said that there was a struggle going on between the Third World and the industrial world. Therefore, we had to look at these things from a Muslim's point of view. Given the fact that Muslims were denied their rights, their countries were oppressed and remained dependent on Centers of influence. These Centers are not in Asia, Africa or Latin America; they were situated in Europe and America. He reiterated that we have always said in all Arab meetings that the battle was not only political or military, but was a battle of all potentialities including energy and oil.

On the second day of conference, leader of the Iranian delegation Mr. Abbas Ali Khalatbari said that the victory of Arabs in the Ramazan War was a decisive step towards the solution of the Middle East problem for which the Muslim countries had waited so long. He said that Iran had a very clear policy regarding the status of Jerusalem. Iran was against any unilateral modification of the legal status of the city under any circumstances. Mr. Khalatbari believed that the Geneva peace conference would open a new perspective for the establishment of peace in the Middle East.

Iran was, he said, one of the founder-members of the Islamic Conference and attached great importance to it since this organization had united Muslims from the Atlantic to the Sea of China. He praised the efforts of Prime Minister Bhutto and the people of Pakistan in convening the Conference, which was sure to promote understanding among the Muslims besides helping in promoting a better understanding of the contemporary world.

Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razzak expressed the hope that the Muslim world would be able to regain the pristine glory of Islam.Addressing to the opening session of Conference on

second day, Razzak welcomed the presence of Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rahman in the conference and admired the sagacity shone by Prime Minister Bhutto in this regard. With this, a new ere would dawn in the region, he added. He opposed to acquisition of territory by Israel, because it considered it illegal and illegitimate.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Adam Malik said on the second day of the Summit Conference that the present summit provided a "unique" and "golden" opportunity for forging Islamic conference into "collective political force. He said the deliberations in Lahore also brought about opportunity to work for the "resurgence of Islam and of Islamic brotherhood". He said at the summit that peace could be restored in the Middle East only after the root causes of the conflict were removed. He called for vacation of Arab territories occupied by Israeli aggressors and restoration of the right of Palestinian people. He suggested that the Muslim world should initiate a dialogue with the leaders of other religions because Jerusalem was as sacred to the Christians as to the Muslims

Referring to the Geneva peace conference, he saida successto some extent had been obtained. The Indonesian Foreign Minister called for directing "all our collective efforts, support and oneness towards making the negotiations an effective pawn in the furnace of our ultimate goals". Mr. Malik recounted the encouraging result of the Middle East war of October 6 last year. The Ramazan war had exploded two myths, namely the so called invincibility of Israeli armed forces and the much taunted disunity of the Arab world.

At the closing session of the summit, Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Mr. Yasir Arafat declared that the joint and feeble struggle of the Muslim world would bring an urgent victory for the downtrodden people of Palestine. He demanded to the Muslims of the

world to make a united front for the emancipation of the sacred City of Jerusalem.He expressed his feelings to the people of Pakistan and Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto for call upon the conference, he said, it was all the more gratifying to see that the call for the unity among the Muslims had been given from the city of Lahore which had been a seat of Islamic glory and heritage. He urged the Islamic States to give their full support to the struggling people of Palestine who always remained in the efforts to liberate their homeland from the Israeli occupation.

Mr. Yasser Arafat presented a model of the Holy Dome of the Rock to Prime Minster Bhutto as a tribute for the efforts made by him in making the second Islamic summit a great success. He also paid his tributes to Premier Bhutto in making the Summit successful in a resolution which was passed unanimously. He then went to Mr. Bhutto with the model and presented it to him amidst great clapping by the delegates. Mr. Bhutto and Mr. Arafat embraced each other. The Prime Minister thanked the Palestinian leader for his most sincere and honest gesture.

Furthermore, at the last and final session of Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto said that the people of Pakistan would sacrifice their blood for the cause of Islam whenever they were required to do so. He said: We are a poor nation. We may not be able to contribute funds to the economic development of Islamic world but, I proclaim here today that we, the people of Pakistan, shall sacrifice our lives for the cause of Islam. We have been facing many difficulties, but these problems are now being surmounted. The people of Pakistan are dedicated to the cause of Islamic unity. The people of Pakistan are the soldiers of Islam and its armies are the armies of Islam.

Mr. Bhutto expressed his thanked to the heads of State and Government from the Muslim countries who accepted the invitation to participate in the second Islamic Summit. He also thanked to King Faisal for co-sponsoring the conference. He said during the last 25 years we have seen the Islamic countries facing many problems. The Middle East in particular has faced many crises. All these problems have step by step and gradually brought us closer. He said, he was sure that the conference had achieved positive results and the time would prove how valuable it had been. Mr. Bhutto was given a big round of applause by the delegates when he referred to the contribution of Bangladesh in the Summit. He said his conscience would not have been clear if a country of 650 million Muslims had not participated in the conference.

To recapitulate, the Islamic conference which was held in 1974 has given Pakistan a global importance and paramountancy because, for the first time, Pakistan translated the ideals of its Quaid into practice by developing close and friendly relations with the Muslim World. This conference has also given Pakistan permanent financial assistance donor in the form of Asian Development Bank, the bank is one of the major aid donator to Pakistan in times of his turmoil and disaster. Pakistan has showed solidarity and unity with Palestinians in their cause via this conference and also it has washed all of its committed sins with Bengalis by recognizing Bangladesh as independent state on global arena.

References
1. M. Amin Shahid, Pakistans Foreign Policy (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), pp.274-285. 2. Sattar, Abdul. Pakistans Foreign Policy (1947-2005):A Concise History (Karachi. Oxford University Press, 2007), pp.107-108. 3. Ihsanoglu, Ekmeleddin. The Islamic world in the New Century: The Organization ofIslamic Conference(1969-2009),(Columbia: Columbia University Press,

2010),pp.76-85. 4 Calfano, Brain Robert.andsahliyah, Emile. Determining Democracy in the Organization of Islamic Conference, Social Science Quarterly, Volume 1, No.2, October, 2008. pp.132136. 4. Khan,S. Saad. Resetting international Islam: A focus on the Organization of theIslamic Conference and other Islamic Institutions(London: Oxford University Press, 2001), pp.56-64.

Bibliography:
Khan,S. Saad. Resetting international Islam: A focus on the Organization of the IslamicConference and other Islamic Institutions, London: Oxford University Press, 2001. Calfano, Brain Robert.And Sahliyah, Emile. Determining Democracy in the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Social Science Quarterly, Volume 1,No.2, October,2008. Ihsanoglu, Ekmeleddin. The Islamic world in the New Century: The Organization of Islamic Conference, 1969-200. Columbia: Columbia University Press, 2010. M. Amin, Shahid. Pakistans Foreign Policy:A reprassial. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Sattar, Abdul. Pakistans Foreign Policy (1947-2005). Karachi: Oxford University Press, 2007.