FM Quershi leaves to attend OIC Council of Foreign Ministers’ meeting

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi left on Wednesday for Niger where he will lead Pakistan’s delegation to the 47th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

According to the press release issued by the foreign ministry, representatives of 57 OIC Member States and five Observer States are expected to attend the meeting which will be held on November 27-28 .

"During the visit, the Foreign Minister 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," read the official communique.

Meanwhile, the federal minister, in a video message, said that the meeting will deliberate upon the challenges faced by the Muslim Ummah and on other key matters.

FM Qureshi said he will present Pakistan's stance on the changes taking place on the international landscape. On the sidelines of the meeting, he will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the Islamic countries.

Regretting that Muslims are perturbed over the rising incidents of Islamophobia, he asserted that Islamabad holds a very categorical and clear stance on the matter.

The OIC is the collective voice of the Muslim Ummah. It the second-largest international organisation after the United Nations. With 57 members and five observers, the OIC membership spans over four continents. 

The organisation has completed 50 years of its existence. Pakistan is one of the founding members of the OIC and has actively contributed towards the objectives and goals of the OIC.