Daily Times

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi left for Niger on Wednesday to attend the 47th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that will start from Friday.

President Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan, Foreign Secretary Sohail Mehmood and other senior officers are accompanying the foreign minister.

During the two-day session, the council of foreign ministers will discuss a wide range of issues confronting the Muslim world with a particular focus on combating Islamophobia and defamation of the religions; Palestine; Jammu &Kashmir dispute; and the situation of Muslim communities and minorities in non-OIC states.

The council will also hold a brainstorming session on “Security and Humanitarian Challenges Confronting African Sahel States Members of the OIC.”

During the visit, the FM will highlight aggravating human rights and humanitarian situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJ&K) in the wake of India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019 and subsequent measures to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory.

Qureshi 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, he will hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts and heads of delegations of member states.

Earlier in a video message, Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the meeting will deliberate upon the challenges faced by the Muslim Ummah and other important issues.

He said that he will present Pakistan’s stance on the changes taking place on the international landscape. The foreign minister said the Muslims are perturbed over the rising incidents of Islamophobia. He said Pakistan has a very categorical and clear stance on the matter.