ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Banjul, Gambia to lead Pakistani delegation to the 15th OIC Islamic summit.

He was received by the Gambian Minister of Petroleum and Energy Nani Juwara, Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Ambassador Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi and Ambassador of Pakistan to Senegal accredited to the Gambia Saima Maymunah Sayed.

According to a statement of the Foreign Office, Dar will lead the Pakistan delegation at the 15th OIC Summit being held in Banjul, the Gambia on 4-5 May 2024. He will also attend the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers’ Meeting preceding the Summit on 2-3 May 2024 where the Ministers will discuss and finalise the agenda and outcome documents for the Summit.

The Summit is being convened at a critical time for the Muslim Ummah as the war on the people of Gaza continues unabated. It would be an important occasion for the OIC leaders to deliberate upon the dire situation in Gaza and project a strong, collective and unified stance on the Palestinian question.

At the Summit, the statement added that the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister will speak about Pakistan’s perspective on the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu & Kashmir, imperatives of solidarity and unity of the Ummah, rising Islamophobia, issues of climate change, terrorism and other contemporary global challenges. He will underline the need to find collective solutions to challenges confronting the Muslim Ummah. On the sidelines, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister will hold bilateral meetings with leaders and Foreign Ministers participating in the Summit.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024