ISLAMABAD: The 48 session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Islamabad will reaffirm the “longstanding solidarity and support” of its membership with the people of Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir, the Pakistani foreign office said late Sunday.
Pakistan is hosting the session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers on March 22-23, which is themed as "Partnering for Unity, Justice and Development." The meeting will coincide with the 75th Pakistan Day.
The visiting dignitaries from OIC member and observer states will witness the Pakistan Day parade on March 23 as the "guests of honour." The parade is held every year to commemorate the Lahore Resolution that was adopted on the same day in 1940 and laid the foundation for a Muslim-majority state in South Asia.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will deliver a keynote address at the inaugural session of the conference on March 22, while Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will preside over the conference.
"The CFM assumes special significance given the backdrop of opportunities and challenges before the Muslim world in the political, security, social and economic spheres," the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement.
"Apart from an appraisal of the global and regional landscapes, the CFM will inter alia reaffirm the longstanding solidarity and support of its membership with the people of Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir; reiterate its resolve to combat rising Islamophobia; and discuss strategies to counter the effects of climate change, vaccine inequity and erosion in progress towards SDGs."
The OIC session will review and assess the "grave human rights and humanitarian situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK)," with the ministerial meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir taking place on the sidelines, the statement said.
The ministerial meeting will take stock of the decisions taken at the 17th extraordinary session of the OIC-CFM held in Islamabad in December 2021 to address the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. The 48th session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers will consider and adopt over 100 resolutions on a broad range of issues, including peace and security, economic development, cultural and scientific cooperation, and humanitarian, legal, administrative and financial matters.
State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi of the People’s Republic of China will attend the session as a special guest, while senior officials from non-OIC countries, senior representatives from the United Nations (UN) system, regional and international organizations, including the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will also participate, the foreign office said.
As its founding member, Pakistan has been an ardent supporter of the OIC. Islamabad has played a seminal role in cementing the bonds of unity and solidarity, upholding respect for the principles of international law, and fostering economic, scientific and cultural partnerships.
"The hosting of this CFM by Pakistan represents an enduring tradition of convening high-level OIC summits and ministerial meetings since the establishment of the organization," the statement read. "It also reflects the abiding commitment of the people of Pakistan to promote the bonds of Muslim fraternity and foster cooperative partnerships."
