A two-day meeting of the Council of the Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) began in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Tuesday to discuss challenges faced by the Muslim world.
The meeting is taking place in the midst of Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan's toughest political episode yet as he is facing a no-confidence motion and nearly two dozen lawmakers of his own Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party have turned against him. The session for a vote on the motion has been called on 25 March.
The OIC meeting has come as a respite for Khan as the Opposition announced that the country's political unrest would not disrupt the OIC meeting.
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"The Opposition pledges to do its utmost to create an atmosphere in which the distinguished guests will be able to carry out their activities with full attention, dedication and determination," said the Opposition in a statement quoted by the Pakistani newspaper Dawn.
The 48th session of the CFM of the 57-member body of Muslim countries is being held under the theme of 'Building Partnerships for Unity, Justice, and Development'. About 46 member states are being represented at the ministerial level in the meeting. The rest will be represented by senior officials.
The meeting is being chaired by Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Prime Minister Imran Khan will deliver a keynote address at the inaugural session which will highlight Pakistan’s role and contribution towards OIC and deliberate on the challenges faced by the Muslim world.
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China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi is attending the OIC session as a Special Guest at the invitation of his Pakistani counterpart Qureshi.
The Islamabad Ministerial will consider and adopt over 100 resolutions on a broad range of issues, including peace and security; economic development; cultural and scientific cooperation; and humanitarian, legal, administrative and financial matters, according to Foreign Office.
The agenda of the meeting covers a review of the developments affecting the Muslim world since the last CFM held in Niamey in 2020 and efforts undertaken by the secretariat for the implementation of resolutions adopted in previous sessions, especially on Palestine and Al Quds (Jerusalem).
The agenda includes Islamophobia and issues related to international terrorism and cooperation in economic, cultural, social, humanitarian, and scientific domains.
The OIC is a 57-member grouping of Muslim majority nations, including Pakistan.
With PTI inputs
