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ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has arrived in the African nation of Niger to represent Pakistan at the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers’ meeting.
The foreign minister and President Azad Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan will address the meeting and apprise the participants about the grave human rights situation in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
He will also highlight rising incidents of Islamophobia and hate speech against Muslims and emphasise 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 and heads of delegations of member states.
The foreign minister is lead Pakistan’s delegation at the 47th session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers scheduled to take place in Niamey on November 27-28. The representatives of 57 OIC members states and five observer states are expected to attend the meeting.
According to a statement released by the Foreign Office (FO), the foreign minister will highlight the human rights and humanitarian situation in occupied Kashmir in the wake of India’s illegal and unilateral action of August 5, 2019 and subsequent measures to change the demographic structure of the territory.
“During the two-day session, the council will discuss a wide range of issues confronting the Muslim world with particular focus on combating Islamophobia and defamation of religions, Palestine, Jammu and Kashmir dispute and the situation of Muslim communities and minorities in non-OIC states,” the FO said.
The meeting will also discuss the OIC 2025 Programme of Action and various matters related to promoting civilizational, cultural and religious dialogue The council will also hold a brainstorming session on “Security and Humanitarian Challenges Confronting African Sahel States Members of the OIC,” the statement added.
