Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Saturday affirmed his government’s commitment to promoting the interests of Muslim Ummah as a corner-stone of Pakistan’s foreign policy. The prime minister was talking to OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha, who called on him. The prime minister thanked the Secretary General for consistent and unequivocal support of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to the Kashmir cause, the PM Office Media Wing said in a press release. He urged the organization to lead the diplomatic endeavours towards facilitating a peaceful and lasting solution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolutions and aspirations of the Kashmiri people. The prime minister maintained that Pakistan, as the current Chair of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, was looking forward to playing a proactive role with regard to the matters of interest and concern to the OIC member states.
Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif invited the OIC to launch a concerted effort to stop the ongoing Israeli aggression against Al-Aqsa Mosque and other occupied Palestinian territories. He stressed that Israel must not be allowed to divide the blessed Mosque, temporally and spatially, between the peoples of different faith.
The prime minister underscored the need for provision of urgent humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people and emphasized that the OIC should step up its efforts to counter growing Islamophobia at the international level.
He invited the OIC secretary general to pay a visit to Pakistan, which was accepted. The secretary general reaffirmed the OIC’s support for a just and peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions.
He expressed his resolve to work closely with Pakistan on key issues of concern to the Muslim Ummah, especially Palestine, Afghanistan and Islamophobia. The secretary general reiterated his felicitations to the prime minister on his recent election and assumption of office.
He also highlighted the important role that Pakistan had always played in the OIC as a founding member.
During the meeting, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, ministers Miftah Ismail, Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Ahsan Iqbal, Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Mohsin Dawar and Maulana Tahir Ashrafi also accompanied the prime minister.
Later, after completing his three-day visit to Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif left for United Arab Emirates (UAE), a statement from the premier’s office said on Saturday.
During his visit to the UAE, the prime minister was to meet Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. During the meeting, both sides will discuss “matters of mutual interest, including bilateral relations of the countries”.