Pakistan is going to host an extraordinary meeting of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers tomorrow after 41 years at the invitation of Saudi Arabia, with the aim of drawing the attention of the international community to the humanitarian crisis facing millions of Afghans and their assistance.
Before the meeting, a meeting of senior officials will be held today before the Council of Foreign Ministers.
What is OIC?
The OIC is an international organization established in response to the Jewish attack on the Al-Aqsa Mosque on August 21, 1969. The OIC was established on September 25, 1969, in Rabat, Morocco. And 57 Muslim-majority countries in South Africa, Central Asia, Europe, Southeast Asia, and the subcontinent, and South America. The OIC works to protect the interests of Muslims around the world.
Agenda of the meeting
The meeting will consider dealing with the economic crisis in Afghanistan, food and medicine shortages in Afghanistan, and assistance to the homeless. The conference will be held at Parliament House, Islamabad. The first session will be held from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm in which FM Shah Mehmood Qureshi will welcome the delegates, after which Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud will address the gathering.
In addition, OIC Secretary-General Hussain Ibrahim Taha, representatives of the organization’s regional groups, and President of the Islamic Development Bank, Dr. Muhammad Al-Jasser will also address this. At the end of the session, Prime Minister Imran Khan will deliver a keynote address. After that, the in-camera meeting of the organization will start.
Participating countries
In addition to foreign ministers and observers from OIC member states, representatives of the United Nations, international financial institutions, and some non-member countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, France, China, Russia, Germany, Italy, and Japan, are invited to attend.
Later, meetings will be held between Pakistan, China, Russia, and the United States, and P5 countries, including Germany, Japan, Italy and Australia, to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. Foreign ministers from 22 key countries, Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and delegations from eight OIC member states have confirmed their participation.
Will Afghanistan also participate?
The Pakistan Foreign Office said that the interim government of Afghanistan will also be represented in the meeting. The meeting will consider the humanitarian tragedy in Afghanistan.
OIC position
OIC Secretary-General Hussain Brahim Taha said that the world should not leave Afghanistan alone, Muslim countries should consider ways to help their Afghan brothers in this critical time. He reviewed the arrangements of the meeting after his arrival in Pakistan and Pakistan has played an important role in a peaceful and stable Afghanistan.
Pakistan
Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that the purpose of the OIC meeting is to draw the attention of the international community to the humanitarian crisis facing millions of Afghans and their humanitarian assistance. According to the the foreign minister, our efforts are proving fruitful and the international community has started paying attention to Afghanistan because if this situation is not overcome, all the efforts made for stability and peace for the last 20 years will come to naught.
Hopes and expectations
After the Taliban’s domination in Afghanistan, Pakistan made contacts with the outside world as part of its efforts for peace and stability in Afghanistan and there was an emphasis on working with local people and taking steps for a comprehensive government.
Even then, the United Nations believed that Afghanistan was on the brink of economic collapse, so the international community should ensure access to its frozen resources and provide emergency humanitarian assistance, avoid repeating the mistakes of the past and maintain a positive attitude. In the wake of this extraordinary OIC meeting, it is hoped that the international community will take the necessary steps to overcome the emerging crisis in Afghanistan, which will help prevent a new human tragedy.
