JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia: The Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is completing 50 years of its founding in 2019, Pakistan will organize a number of activities to mark the Organizations’ golden jubilee, the Dispatch News Desk (DND) news agency.
Qureshi told this when he held a meeting with the OIC Secretary General Yousef Al-Othaimeen on the sidelines of the meeting of OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) in Jeddah.
The secretary general lauded this initiative and highlighted the events that the OIC Secretariat was planning to organise in this regard.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi congratulated the OIC Secretary General and the Secretariat on making arrangements for the 14th Islamic Summit Conference at a short notice. He reposed trust in the wise stewardship of the Secretary General in spearheading the OIC process at this important time for the Muslim Ummah.
While apprising the secretary general of the continued human rights violations of security forces in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IoK), the foreign minister lauded OIC’s unwavering support to Pakistan on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. He also thanked the OIC secretary general for appointing Special Envoy for Jammu and Kashmir.
The foreign minister also apprised the secretary general of the measures being taken by Pakistan to expand its engagement with the OIC including the establishment of the office of Pakistan’s Permanent Representative (PR) to the OIC in Jeddah.
During the meeting, the process of reform of OIC was also discussed.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi stressed the importance of early conclusion of the process to make the organization more democratic, representative and rules-based.
While discussing the growing trend of hatred towards Islam and Muslims in different parts of the world, the foreign minister hoped that the OIC would initiate necessary process to implement Pakistan’s proposals to combat Islamophobia, as agreed during the emergency OIC meeting in Istanbul, earlier this year.
The foreign minister extended an invitation to the OIC secretary general to visit Pakistan, which he graciously accepted.
