News Desk |
Prime Minister Imran Khan will lead the Pakistani delegation at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit scheduled for 31st May in Saudi Arabia, informed Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi before leaving for KSA on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Imran Khan will lead Pakistan’s delegation at the 14th Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Makkah on May 31.
King Salman has invited 57 members of the OIC to attend the summit, the fourth session to be held in the holy city. https://t.co/3suKWCmkl1
— PTI (@PTIofficial) May 28, 2019
The fourth session of the OIC summit is scheduled to be held in the holy city of Makkah.
The OIC Summit is one of the three summits hosted by Saudi Arabia in Makkah to facilitate its allies in Washington, and to put forward a unified stance of the Arab.
The two-day OIC summit has been called by Saudi King Salman, who invited 57 members of the OIC to address the challenges faced by the Muslim world, particularly the agenda of “strengthening unity among Muslim states amid rising tensions in the Arabian Gulf”, will be discussed at the two-day summit.”
PM Khan will Focus on Solidarity of Ummah in OIC
Prime Minister Imran Khan will represent Pakistan at the 14th Summit of the OIC, titled ‘Makkah Summit: Together for the Future’, to be held in Makkah on Friday.
A press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs observed that the OIC summit will provide a valuable platform for OIC member states to exchange views and contemplate multiple political, economic and security issues that concern Muslim countries across the globe.
The statement further noted that Prime Minister Imran Khan will hold dialogue and discussions on various aspects focused on solidarity and unity across the Muslim Ummah.
Read more: OIC’s resolution on Kashmir: India’s diplomatic failure
MoFA stated, “The Prime Minister will, among other things, focus on the imperatives of solidarity and unity of the Ummah, support for Muslim causes including Jammu and Kashmir, countering growing Islamophobia, and ensuring educational and scientific excellence.”
PM Khan to raise Kashmir issue in the Makkah OIC summit in Saudi Arabia https://t.co/v1NmvnzynE pic.twitter.com/dy8EOlfz92
— Times of lsIamabad (@TimesofIslambad) May 29, 2019
FM Qureshi to Attend Foreign Ministers’ Council of OIC
While addressing the press in the capital on Tuesday, FM Qureshi informed that he was departing to Saudi Arabia to attend meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC, which would establish the tone of the summit.
Radio Pakistan reported that the two-day summit will discuss the ongoing situation in Iran, and the rising tensions across the Gulf, providing Pakistan the opportunity to voice its concerns and put forward its stance.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi Exclusive Message before leaving for visit to Saudi Arabia to attend OIC Summit in Mecca (28.05.19)#PTI #Pakistan 🇵🇰 #SaudiArabia 🇸🇦 #OIC #OICMakkahSummit @SMQureshiPTI pic.twitter.com/WFAzAUccj6
— PTI (@PTIofficial) May 28, 2019
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi added that he will engage in dialogue with the OIC secretary general and foreign ministers of other OIC-member states at the sidelines of the summit. FM Qureshi also stated that a session of the Kashmir Contact group is also expected to take place.
FM Qureshi will engage in mutual consultations with Foreign Ministers of the OIC member states in Makkah to provide final approval for the Makkah Declaration, the draft of the OIC summit,
US-Iran Tensions among Issues of OIC
The OIC Summit is one of the three summits hosted by Saudi Arabia in Makkah to facilitate its allies in Washington, and to put forward a unified stance of the Arab, Gulf and other Muslim countries against its arch-rival Iran.
Washington has responded to the sabotaging attacks on oil pipelines and tankers by imposing harsh economic sanctions and deploying another 1500 US troops to the Middle East.
Tehran has not yet confirmed whether it will be present at the OIC summit, even though Tehran is a member of the international Muslim body.
Over the past month, tensions have heightened across the Gulf, particularly after the United States deployed its nuclear bombers and aircraft carrier citing alleged threats emerging from Tehran.
In a mysterious turn of events, two Saudi oil tankers, amongst four vessels including some UAE ships, were attacked earlier this month, while Tehran-backed Yemeni rebels have also intensified their drone attacks against the KSA, which has caused a temporary shutdown of a key oil pipeline across the Kingdom.
Read more: Alarming Iran-US tension
Washington has responded to the sabotaging attacks on oil pipelines and tankers by imposing harsh economic sanctions and deploying another 1500 US troops to the Middle East.