OIC secretary-general to arrive in Pakistan on December 10

• OIC's Hissein Brahim Taha to arrive on two-day trip.
• He will visit Azad Jammu and Kashmir as well.
• Taha to hold meetings with prime minister, foreign minister.

ISLAMABAD: Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha will lead a five-member delegation to Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir from December 10-12, the Foreign Office said Thursday.

The visit, taking place at the invitation of Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, will be his first trip to the country since assuming office in November 2021.

During his visit, the secretary-general will hold a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and a delegation-level meeting with the foreign minister.

The OIC secretary-general will also meet with Advisor to the Prime Minister on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Minister of Information Technology Amin-ul-Haque, and Minister of Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar.

The Foreign Office said during bilateral talks, Taha and FM Bilawal would discuss issues on the agenda of OIC including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, Islamophobia, and the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

“It will also be an opportunity to exchange views on vital issues of economic, social, and technological cooperation among OIC member countries,” the Foreign Office said.

Pakistan, as a founding member of OIC, will continue to make efforts to promote Islamic solidarity, unity, and dialogue in the organisation, the ministry said.

As Chair of the Council of Foreign Ministers, Pakistan has worked towards fully activating the OIC peace and security architecture to resolve disputes and conflicts, the Foreign Office said.

It added that Pakistan established the OIC Trust Fund to channel dire humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, provided a leadership role to address the abhorrent phenomena of Islamophobia, and promote cooperation between OIC member states in the domain of trade, commerce, food security, science, and technology.

“The secretary-general’s visit will enable exchange of views on how OIC can galvanize itself further to deliver on the aspirations of 1.9 billion Muslims that it represents,” it added.