Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s meeting with Secretary General of OIC

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had a meeting with Mr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen, Secretary General of OIC, on the sidelines of the meeting of OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM), in Jeddah.

Foreign Minister Qureshi congratulated the Secretary General and the Secretariat on making arrangements for the 14th Islamic Summit Conference at a short notice. He reposed trust in the wise stewardship of the Secretary General in spearheading the OIC process at this important time for the Muslim Ummah.

While apprising the Secretary General of the continued human rights violations of security forces in IoK, the Foreign Minister lauded OIC’s unwavering support to Pakistan on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. The Foreign Minister also thanked the Secretary General for appointing Special Envoy for Jammu and Kashmir.

Foreign Minister Qureshi also apprised the Secretary General of the measures being taken by Pakistan to expand its engagement with the OIC, including the establishment of the office of Pakistan’s Permanent Representative (PR) to the OIC in Jeddah.

As OIC is completing 50 years of its founding in 2019, the Foreign Minister informed the Secretary General that Pakistan will organize a number of activities to mark the organization’s golden jubilee. The Secretary General lauded this initiative and highlighted the events that the OIC Secretariat was planning to organise in this regard.

The process of reform of OIC was also discussed. Foreign Minister Qureshi stressed the importance of early conclusion of the process to make the organization more democratic, representative and rules-based.

While discussing the growing trend of hatred towards Islam and Muslims in different parts of the world, the Foreign Minister hoped that the OIC would initiate necessary process to implement Pakistan’s proposals to combat Islamophobia, as agreed during the emergency OIC meeting in Istanbul, earlier this year.

Foreign Minister Qureshi extended an invitation to the Secretary General to visit Pakistan, which he graciously accepted.

Islamabad
30 May 2019

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