PM Khan to express solidarity with Saudi Arabia as OIC summit opens tonight

Prime Minister Imran Khan exchanging views with Governor Makkah Region Prince Khalid bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud upon arrival at the Royal Terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah KSA. (APP)

• Khan reached the Kingdom with a delegation of close aides on Thursday and performed Umrah
• King Salman will chair the two-day summit

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan is scheduled to deliver a keynote address tonight at the 14th Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Makkah, where he is expected to express solidarity with Saudi Arabia in the face of the rising tensions in the Arabian Gulf region.
Khan reached the Kingdom along with a delegation of close aides on Thursday and performed Umrah, an Islamic pilgrimage to Makkah’s grand mosque, ahead of the OIC conclave.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz, who will chair the summit, invited 57 OIC member states to attend the event that seeks to provide “a valuable platform to exchange views and deliberate on a range of political, economic and security issues of interest to Islamic countries.”
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has already attended the Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Saudi Arabia finalized the OIC summit agenda ahead of its two-day session in Makkah.
“As one of its [OIC] founding members, Pakistan has played a key role in advancing a range of Muslim causes in efforts to revitalize the organization,” the foreign office said in a statement on Wednesday.
Pakistan has always condemned attacks on Saudi oil facilities and cities by Yemeni rebels and expressed its resolve to protect the Kingdom’s sovereignty and integrity in the face of any external aggression.