— PM says stable Afghanistan crucial to fight the threat of militancy
— Islamophobia Day tribute to Christchurch attack victims
ISLAMABAD: Calling for unity in the Islamic world, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said a strong voice from the platform of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as the representative body of 1.5 billion Muslims was crucial to address the lingering disputes of Kashmir and Palestine.
“We have failed both the Palestinians and Kashmiris. I am sad that we have not been able to make an impact despite being the massive voice of 1.5 billion [people],” the prime minister said in his keynote address at the 48th annual session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) after Pakistan assumed the chair of the OIC body.
The two-day summit of the 57-nation bloc is being held at Parliament House under the theme of “Building Partnerships for Unity, Justice, and Development”. The session on Tuesday highlighted the challenges facing the Muslim world and the opportunities which could be seized through joint efforts.
OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha, Islamic Development Bank President Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser and Saudi and Chinese foreign ministers Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud and Wang Yi were among the participants.
The prime minister, who commenced his speech with a prayer seeking guidance from Allah for the righteous path, focused on issues including Islamophobia, global conflicts and the situation in Afghanistan, occupied Kashmir, Palestine and Ukraine.
Khan pointed out the international community had decades ago made a pledge with the people of Kashmir to help them decide their fate.
However, he regretted the status of the region had been changed illegally with the residents experiencing gross rights violations.
“I ask OIC that unless we have a united front, we keep having seen these abuses,” he said, adding that altering the demography of a population by turning the Muslim majority into a minority was a war crime under Geneva Convention.
He warned the world was heading towards a second Cold War with the chances of the countries being divided into blocs. “Unless we, as an Islamic platform, get united, we will stand nowhere,” he warned.
Commenting on the crisis in Ukraine, he proposed to consider ways where the OIC nations along with China could play their role in diffusing the violence.
Khan said he will later hold a discussion with Yi on how China and OIC together could step in to mediate a ceasefire and end the conflict which had already started impacting the world in the form of a historical rise in prices of oil, gas and wheat.
STABLE AFGHANISTAN CRUCIAL TO FIGHT TERRORISM
In Afghanistan, the stability of the country was extremely important after the 40 years of conflict, said the prime minister as he called for the lifting of international sanctions to avert the looming humanitarian crisis.
He said the only way to stop terrorism in, and coming from, Afghanistan was to encourage and support a stable government in place.
“As a word of caution, please do not push the proud and independent-minded people of Afghanistan [towards the extreme]. Let us help them and involve in the international community,” he said.
Khan stressed that self-belief could help the Islamic world revive its glory to address their common challenges.
The prime minister welcomed the visiting foreign ministers at the OIC platform which coincided with the occasion of Pakistan Day.
ISLAMOPHOBIA DAY TRIBUTE TO CHRISTCHURCH VICTIMS
He congratulated the bloc over getting Islamophobia recognised at the United Nations as a global threat and setting March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.
The resolution, adopted last Tuesday by consensus by the 193-member world body and co-sponsored by 55 mainly Muslim countries, emphasises the right to freedom of religion and belief and recalls a 1981 resolution calling for “the elimination of all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion or belief”.
The date, he mentioned, was in connection with the terror attack at two New Zealand mosques on March 15, 2019, when a white supremacist killed 51 worshippers and injured dozens of others.
The prime minister stressed that Islam did not permit terrorism and rejected the notion of differentiating between a “moderate and terrorist Muslim”.
“The moment someone describes as moderate Muslims automatically tags others as radical,” he said, urging the Muslim countries to take a stand on this.
He emphasised that there were no two types of Islam and Muslims, but the one taught through the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.).
He pointed out the 9/11 attacks led to demonising of Muslims across the world and said that mocking or ridiculing the prophet in the name of freedom of expression could not be justified.
Khan said Pakistan was the only country that was created in the name of Islam with its Objective Resolution based on the vision of the religion’s first socio-welfare state of Medina.
He said Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) was sent to the world as a blessing for the entire humanity and not specific for the Muslims only.
Khan regretted that the world was witnessing a situation where the poor countries were being robbed through the illegal transfer of $1.6 trillion to rich countries.
MINORITIES RIGHTS
He said an Islamic state must protect the rights of minorities, and imbibes the spirit of compassion and humanity for all.
The prime minister mentioned that one of the ideals of the OIC was to protect Islamic values, however, expressed concern over the culture of obscenity on social media, which he said was leading to a rise in the incidents of sex crimes.
He sought consideration by the Islamic platform to suggest ways for combating vulgarity impacting the social values and family system.
OIC SESSION
The inaugural session of the two-day summit of the Council of the Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) began in Islamabad Tuesday morning.
Khan joined the gathering of the foreign ministers of the Muslim world at the session held at the Parliament House.
As the session started, the national anthem of Pakistan was played on the occasion.
The verses from the Quran were recited. A short video of the OIC journey was screened on the occasion highlighting Muslim unity as key to success.
Opening session of the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in #Islamabad on March 22, 2022 under the Theme: (Building Partnerships for Unity, Justice and Development). #OIC48CFM #OICInPakistan pic.twitter.com/QWznOMhrO1
— OIC (@OIC_OCI) March 22, 2022
In his speech, Nigeria Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massaoudou, who chaired the 47th session of the OIC-CFM, focused on the objectives of the bloc and emphasised the need for collaborated efforts to address the common challenges.
He handed over the chair of the 48th session of the OIC-CFM to Pakistan represented by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
Earlier, Qureshi received the visiting foreign ministers on their arrival at the Parliament House.
The session coincides with the 75th-anniversary celebrations of Pakistan’s independence.
On March 23, the visiting ministers will visit the Pakistan Day military parade venue and witness the capability of Pakistan’s armed forces and the traditional floats of all the provinces, reflecting the national unity.
The OIC foreign ministers will also discuss developments in Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, and other regions during the summit.
Pakistan has a proud history of hosting major OIC events including Summits and CFM meetings. The country hosted the second OIC summit in Lahore in February 1974.
A so-called extraordinary summit was held in Islamabad in 1997 on the occasion of the golden jubilee celebrations of Pakistan’s independence.
Pakistan also hosted the OIC CFMs on four occasions — second session in December 1970, 11th in May 1980, 21st in April 1993 and the 34th session in May 2007. The first and the 17th Extraordinary Sessions of the OIC-CFM were held in Islamabad in January 1980 and December 2021, respectively.
