President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday urged the need to identify and collectively address the underlying reasons for the rising incidents of Islamophobia across the globe through the forum of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The president said that OIC was the collective voice of the Muslim Ummah. He expressed these views while talking to Pakistan’s Ambassador/Permanent Representative-designate to OIC Jeddah, Syed Mohammad Fawad Sher, who called on him at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, President Secretariat Press Wing said in a press release. Talking to the ambassador-designate, the president said that OIC should take effective steps for the protection of the fundamental human rights of Muslim minorities across the globe. He said that the world should take notice of rising incidents of violence against minorities, especially Muslims, in India, adding that Indian Hindutva ideology should be discouraged worldwide. He expressed the hope that all the brotherly Muslim member states of OIC would be able to make a positive development toward the resolution of the Kashmir issue and address the plight of the people of the Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The president expressed his concern over Israel’s violence and illegal actions against innocent Palestinians, adding that such actions were against humanitarian norms, human rights and international law. He said that there could not be permanent peace in the Middle East unless the issue of Palestine was resolved. The president said that Pakistan was working for the promotion of science and technological cooperation among OIC countries through the OIC Standing Committee for Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH). “Pakistan can offer online education and IT skills to member countries through Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) and Virtual University (VU)’s educational modules,” he added. He said that almost 9,000 foreign students were benefiting from VU and this number could be increased with further collaboration with Islamic countries in the education sector. The president also asked the ambassador-designate to work for enhancing trade among the member countries of OIC.