The 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) opened at the Parliament House in Islamabad Tuesday to discuss challenges faced by the Muslim world.
The two-day annual meeting 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.
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.
Addressing the session, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi welcomed the foreign ministers to the conference and said that it is a matter of great pride for Pakistan to host the 48th session in 2022, which marks the 77th anniversary of Pakistan’s independence.
He said that Pakistan wanted to make the OIC a strong forum. Islamabad wished to strengthen relations of Islamic countries, he added.
Indian-occupied Kashmir and Palestine issues have yet to be resolved even after 70 years, he continued.
Qureshi said Pakistan introduced a resolution on Islamophobia on behalf of the OIC at the United Nations which designated March 15 as the “International Day to Combat Islamophobia” after adopting it with consensus.
“The OIC is the collective voice of nearly two billion Muslims. It is the bridge that connects the Muslim nations and the Muslim world and the international community,” he said.
Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha, Islamic Development Bank President Dr Muhammad Suleiman Al-Jasser, Chinese State Councilor, and Foreign Minister Wangi Yi will address the session. A video message by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will be shown as well.
During the two-day conference, more than 100 resolutions will be overviewed.
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.
The participants would also deliberate on the situation in Afghanistan and India-held Jammu and Kashmir.
Issues pertaining to Africa and Muslims in Europe and developments in Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, and Syria, will also be taken up at the meeting.
The agenda, moreover, includes Islamophobia and issues related to international terrorism and cooperation in economic, cultural, social, humanitarian, and scientific domains.
On March 23, foreign ministers will visit the venue of the Pakistan Day parade. Later in the day, FM Qureshi along with OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha will hold a joint press stakeout following the conclusion of the session.
