by: Noorulhassan Gujjar:
Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Ambassador Syed Mohammad Fawad Sher called on the OIC Secretary General, H.E. Hissein Brahim Taha at the OIC General Secretariat in Jeddah, today. A wide range of issues were discussed during the meeting.
Ambassador and the Secretary General exchanged views on issues slated for discussion during the forthcoming OIC Annual Coordination Meeting (ACM) and the Islamic Summit including, inter alia, the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, Palestine, Afghanistan, Islamophobia incidents of desecration of the Holy Quran and COMSTECH Islamabad (OIC’s Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation), etc. Ambassador Fawad Sher noted that Pakistan maintained a firm position and has traditionally played an active role in steering OIC’s response to all important issues.
He thanked the Secretary General for OIC’s unwavering support to the Jammu and Kashmir cause and urged for the complete implementation of the OIC Plan of Action on Jammu and Kashmir adopted by the 48th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers in Islamabad. On Islamophobia and the repeated incidents of desecration of the Holy Quran, he reiterated Pakistan’s strong condemnation of these despicable incidents.
The Secretary General appreciated Pakistan’s robust engagement with the OIC and its effective participation in addressing challenges confronting the Muslim world. He stated that the OIC highly valued Pakistan’s contributions on issues of collective concern to the Ummah.
The OIC Annual Coordination Meeting (ACM) will be held on 21st Sept, 2023 on the sidelines of the 78th UNGA session in New York. Foreign Ministers of the OIC Member States would participate in the meeting. The ACM would also witness other events on the sidelines including the meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir. The Islamic Summit is scheduled to be held on 16-17 December 2023 in Banjul, Gambia, and will be preceded by the meetings of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers and Senior Officials.
