OIC Summit 1974

The Second Islamic Summit Conference held from February 22-24, 1974 in Lahore
was hosted by Pakistan and came to be known as the Lahore Summit. It was an
extra ordinary summit that was held on the proposal of OIC Secretary General
Tunku Abdul Rahman. The Second Islamic Summit Conference was called to
discuss the Middle East situation in the wake of Arab Israel war of October 1973
and the oil embargo imposed by Arabs. It was attended by the head of states,
ministers and dignitaries from Muslim countries all over the world. Some of the
participant countries were Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Chad, Egypt,
Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea- Bissau, Indonesia, Iran, Jordon, Morocco, Saudi
Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Oman,
Pakistan, Yemen, Qatar, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda,
United Arab Emirates, Palestine and Iraq. The Visiting delegations were warmly
welcomed by the people of Lahore.

Recommendations and suggestions.

Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto opened the Conference and following decisions
were made;

 Support was assured to Jordon, Syria, Egypt and Palestinian people for their
legitimate struggle for recovering of their lands.
 Palestine issue needs to be resolved, all those states having relations with
Israel were condemned and it was suggested that steps should be taken to
affirm Arab sovereignty over Jerusalem.
 For the enhancement of Islamic culture, solidarity and education the
Islamic Solidarity Fund was established.

Outcomes of the summit.

The successful holding of the summit raised the stature of Pakistan in the Muslim
world. Following are the significant outcomes of the Lahore Summit:
 India had realized that even after the dismemberment of East Pakistan.
Pakistan did not stand alone but had large number of friends with the some
of the world’s wealthiest countries.
 Many Arab and Islamic countries had not yet recognized Bangladesh as a
separate country. In the atmosphere of Islamic fraternity generated by the
Islamic Summit, Pakistanis forgot the past and embraced Sheikh Mujeeb-ur-
Rehman along with the recognition of Bangladesh. After Pakistan’s
recognition other Muslim countries also recognized Bangladesh’s
independent status.
 By this Summit the Islamic World accepted the status of Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO) under Yasir Arafat as the sole legitimate
representative of Palestinian people. This acceptance strengthened the
cause of Palestine in UN and other international bodies and Yasir Arafat
said that Palestine was born in Lahore.
 It brought up the solidarity and fraternity among the Muslim world and
made them aware of the worth of their resources especially of oil.
 The Summit made it clear that Jerusalem was of profound importance for
muslims and was religiously sacred for the entire Muslim Ummah.
 It strengthened the Arabs, particularly Egypt in the post Arab-Israel War
1973 negotiations.