FO rejects misleading reports about OIC envoys virtual meeting

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui has rejected reports about the virtual meeting of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ambassadors to the United Nations on May 20.

A report had emerged that the United Arab Emirates and Maldives have thwarted an attempt by Pakistan to set up an informal group of OIC envoys at the UN on Islamophobia. It was a routine meeting of the envoys of OIC countries which discussed other issues as well.

In a statement, the spokesperson termed media reports as “misleading and factually incorrect” and said the distorted reporting first appeared in a section of Indian media.

During the meeting, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Munir Akram highlighted the rising wave of Islamophobia and state-sponsored violence against Indian Muslims that has entered into a dangerous phase under the RSS-BJP dispensation.

Highlighting the scourge of Islamophobia in India, he updated the OIC group on recent episodes of Islamophobia and targeted violence against Indian Muslims and Kashmiris. He cautioned OIC members against being deceived by India and called for setting up a group of OIC countries to consider joint actions for countering Islamophobia.

The spokesperson a large number of OIC Ambassadors supported the need for a coordinated OIC position on Islamophobia at the UN and shared the growing concern over serious implications of Islamophobia in India.

She added that representing the collective voice of the Muslim Ummah, the OIC has repeatedly expressed serious concern on Islamophobia and targeted violence against Muslims in India, as manifested in various decisions and Resolutions of Islamic Summits and Council of Foreign Ministers.

The OIC and its human rights body, IPHRC, have issued strong statements on the Indian government’s recent anti-Muslim actions, including Citizenship Amendment Act, targeted killing of Muslims in Delhi, Babri Masjid verdict, and demonization of Muslims in the context of COVID-19.

The Foreign Office spokesperson added that besides OIC, the United Nations human rights machinery, the international human rights organizations, and international media have taken cognizance of the situation and expressed concerns.