His Excellency, the Chairman,

His Excellency Secretary General OIC,

Distinguished Heads of Delegation,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Assalam-o-Alaikum,

      It is a matter of great honour for me to participate in the Meeting of the Foreign Ministers preparatory for the 15^th Session of the Islamic Summit Conference in thishistoric city of Banjul.

I would like to express my gratitude to Honourable President H.E. Adama Barrow,and Foreign Minister H.E. Mamadou Tangara, as well as the government and the people of the Gambia for their warm hospitality.

Let me extend my best wishes to the Chairs of the Preparatory Ministerial Meeting and the Islamic Summit for successful outcomes of the events. 

Mr. Chairman,                 

We are meeting at a tumultuous time in history. Wars and conflicts are widespread in parts of Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America. A destabilizing global power rivalry and arms race are underway. Political and military blocs are vying for more power. Climate change has emerged as a colossal challenge for humanity.

Presently, what is graveconcern for all of us is the unfortunate tragedyunfolding in Gaza. The numbers are heart breaking and beyond belief. Since 7^thOctober 2023, more than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed.

Despite the UN Security Council’s call for an immediate ceasefire, theIsraeli forces are brazenly committing war crimes and crimes against humanity with impunity.Even the holy month of Ramadan was not spared.

Pakistan strongly and unequivocally condemns the indiscriminate and brutal use of force by Israel which must be stopped. The international community must hold Israel accountable for its war crimes and genocide of innocent Palestinians.

Mr. Chairman,

Pakistan is deeply concerned about ongoing massacre and starvation of Gaza people in the last several months. Israeli war on the people of Gaza continues unabated and Palestinian people continue to face starvation and genocide. Immediate implementation of the following measures is the urgent need of the hour: 

• Indiscriminate use of force and inhuman siege of Gaza by Israel must end immediately;
• Unimpeded flow of humanitarian assistance to the besieged people of Gaza;
• An immediate and unconditional ceasefire;
• Return of the displaced Palestinian people to their homeland;
• Accountability for the war crimes committed by Israel with impunity;
• The UN Security Council to ensure immediate implementation of its resolution 2728 for cessation of hostilities;
• Earliest resumption of an inclusive, transparent,and irreversible peace process to secure the realization of the two-state solution;
• OIC’s Ministerial Committee on Israeli aggression against Palestinians must be reactivated. Pakistan would be honored to assist the Committee’s efforts; and
• Israel must halt all settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories and relinquish all usurped Palestinian properties.

Pakistan reaffirmsits full support for the inalienable right to self-determination of the Palestinian people. The only permanent solution to the current crisis lies in the creation of a secure, viable, contiguous, and sovereign state of Palestine based on the pre-June 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. We must all work towards that end with the utmost urgency.

Excellencies,

While in the Middle East, the people of Palestine are facing the wrath of Israel’s reign of terror, in South Asia, the Kashmiris in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) are suffering from the State-sponsored terrorism of India’s fascist regime.

The ongoing Israeli carnage in Palestine has sharp parallels with the ongoing savagery of India in IIOJK. The two oppressors are inspired by a shared playbook.

In IIOJK, after unilaterally scrapping the so-called special status of IIOJK and bifurcating it into two so-called ‘union territories’ on 5 August 2019, the Indian regime has intensified its campaign of oppression that includes extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, torture, enforceddisappearances, collective punishments, media blackouts, political curbs, and arrests of the Kashmiri leadership.

Pakistan will continue to extend all possible diplomatic support to the Kashmiris until the realization of their inalienable right to self-determination, as enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions.

I am also grateful to the OIC for its consistent support to the just cause of Jammu andKashmir.

We strongly condemn the surge in anti-Pakistan rhetoric as well as Islamophobic narratives by India's political leaders during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Their rhetoric marginalizes Muslims and threatens regional stability. The violent implementation of Hindutva ideology warrants close international scrutiny. The United Nations and the OIC must closely monitor the situation.

Excellencies,

It is unfortunate how terrorism, financed and perpetrated by external sources, still continues to pose a threat not only to Pakistan but to the region as a whole.

We have also shared with the international community irrefutable evidence of India's campaign of extrajudicial and transnational assassinations on Pakistani soil.

It is imperative for the international community to hold India accountable for its heinous and illegal actions. Pakistan stands resolute in its intent and ability to safeguard its sovereignty against any act of aggression.

Mr. Chairman,

A peaceful and stable Afghanistan is not only a strategic imperative for Pakistan, it is also critical to achieving our collective vision of lasting regional prosperity. Towards this end, Pakistan has consistently pursued a comprehensive and holistic policy to address the multifaceted challenges confronting Afghanistan.

After over four decades of conflict, Afghanistan has turned a new page in its history. An unprecedented opportunity beckons to consolidate peace and to usher in a future of peace and prosperity for Afghanistan, its people as well as the wider region.

For its part, Pakistan will continue to support the people of Afghanistan as part of our commitment to a peaceful, stable and prosperous region. At the same time, Interim Afghan Government must take action against the TTP and other terrorist organisations based in Afghanistan and stop them from launching terrorist attacks against Pakistan.

Mr. Chairman,

I would like to draw your kind attention and seek your indulgence on one of the most pressing issues collectively faced by the Ummah which is the rising wave of Islamophobia in various parts of the world.

The love and passion of the Ummah for our religion, sacred personalities and symbols are being abused by unscrupulous elements to provoke and foment hate within the Muslim world, through audio, video and textual content, distorting our religion, beliefs, and values, abusing the internet and particularly the wide reach of the social media platforms.

While global Social Media Platforms have set for themselves a clear understanding and the responsibility of content relating to “Antisemitism” and “Holocaust denial”, same is not the case for blasphemous and anti-Islamic content that is clearly responsible for widespread distress among Muslims and the global wave of Islamophobia.

I would therefore urge my fellow Excellencies to formulate a joint strategy to influence global information networks/platforms particularly the Global Social Media platforms to harmonize their application of content regulation policies for blasphemous, anti-Islamic and Islamophobic content.

I would like to mention here that through concerted efforts of the OIC, the UN General Assembly designated 15th March as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia. On 15th March this year, the UN General Assembly adopted another OIC resolution to Combat Islamophobia, including the appointment of a UN Special Envoy.

Excellencies,

The OIC is the collective voice of nearly 2 billion Muslims. It is a bridge among Muslim nations and between the Muslim world and the international community. The theme of this Summit, “Enhancing Unity and Solidarity through Dialogue for Sustainable Development” reminds us all to unite in the face of daunting challenges confronting the Muslim Ummah and humanity at large.

Let me also share with you that Pakistan is a candidate for the non-permanent seat of the UN Security Council for the two years term, 2025-26. We aim to utilize this opportunity to project the voice of OIC Member States on issues of international importance, including the maintenance of international peace and security.

Excellencies,

Promoting solidarity and cooperation within the Muslim Ummah is one of the central pillars of Pakistan's foreign policy. I am confident that our deliberations of today and decisions taken during this Summit, under the Gambia’s leadership, will facilitate peace andreinforce unity and solidarity among the Muslim Ummah.

I thank you all.

-----