ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will lead Pakistan delegation to the 47th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) being held in Niamey, Niger, on November 27-28, 2020, the Foreign Office said.
Representatives of 57 OIC Member States and five Observer States are expected to attend the meeting.
During the two-day session, the Foreign Office said in a statement that the CFM will discuss a wide range of issues confronting the Muslim world with particular focus on combating Islamophobia and defamation of the religions; Palestine; Jammu and Kashmir dispute; situation of Muslim communities and minorities in non-OIC states; OIC 2025 Programme of Action; and various matters related to promotion of civilizational, cultural and religious dialogue.
It added that the Council will also hold a brainstorming session on “Security and Humanitarian Challenges Confronting African Sahel States Members of the OIC.”
During the visit, it stated that the foreign minister will highlight aggravating human rights and humanitarian situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K) in the wake of India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019, and subsequent measures to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory.
The foreign minister will also highlight rising incidents of Islamophobia and hate speech against Muslims, and emphasize the need for unity of the Islamic world to combat the scourge of Islamophobia and promote inter-faith harmony.
On the sidelines, the foreign minister will hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts/heads of delegations of member states.
“The OIC is the collective voice of the Muslim Ummah. It [is] the second largest international organization after the United Nations,” it stated, adding that with 57 members and five observers, the OIC membership spans over four continents.
The organisation has completed 50 years of its existence.
Pakistan is one of the founding members of the OIC, and has actively contributed towards the objectives and goals of the OIC, it added.
In a video statement, the foreign minister said that he would present Pakistan’s stance on the changes taking place on the international landscape.
“Muslims are perturbed over the rising incidents of Islamophobia. Pakistan has a very categorical and clear stance on the matter,” he added.
He further stated that the OIC’s CFM was the appropriate forum to highlight the Indian atrocities against innocent Kashmiri people.
Earlier last year, Pakistan had requested a special session of the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) to discuss the Indian illegal and unilateral steps of August 5, 2019, which could not be convened so far.
However, according to a statement of the OIC posted on its website, the 47th session of the CFM is being held under the theme “United against Terrorism for Peace and Development”. However, discussion on Kashmir is not among the agenda items of the session.
Agenda of the session included a list of topics and issues of concern to the Muslim world. “In addition to the Palestinian cause, the fight against violence, extremism and terrorism, Islamophobia and defamation of religious, the Council will discuss the situation of Muslim minorities and communities in non-member states, fundraising for the Rohingya case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), as well as the promotion of dialogue among civilizations, cultures and religions, and other emerging matters,” it added.
It further stated that the OIC foreign ministers will also discuss for over two days, political, humanitarian, economic, social and cultural and other issues related to science and technology, the media and the progress made in the implementation of the “OIC-2025: Plan of Action” document.
The Council meeting will also feature a brainstorming session on “Security and Humanitarian Challenges Confronting African Sahel States Members of the OIC”.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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