Pakistan all set to host 48th OIC CFM meeting

Islamabad: Pakistan was all set to host the upcoming meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Islamabad on March 22-23.

The 48th summit will be convened under the theme: “Building Partnerships for Unity, Justice, and Development.”

While talking to journalists here, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that it was an honour for Pakistan to host the OIC-CFM meeting on March 22-23, within a period of few months after the successful hosting of an extraordinary meeting of the OIC-CFM last year.

He said the OIC officials would keep arriving on March 21. “The two-day session is a significant one as it is being held at an important phase when the Ummah is confronted with a host of issues,” he said, citing the Palestine issue and Kashmir issue, the latter had assumed significance after India’s unilateral and illegal steps of Aug 5, 2019.

Other global challenges like economic contraction and its fallout, and climate change, etc. would also come under consideration.

More than 100 resolutions would be considered during the two-day session.

During the extraordinary session of OIC-CFM, Pakistan had highlighted the situation in Afghanistan, and in the upcoming meeting, it would highlight the Kashmir issue once again, urging the world that it could no longer neglect the grave situation there.

The session will coincide with the 75th anniversary celebrations of Pakistan’s independence.

Pakistan had invited the worthy guests to attend Pakistan Day parade on March 23 and witness the professional capability of Pakistan’s armed forces and the traditional floats of all the provinces, reflecting the national unity.

The foreign ministers from the member states of the OIC would also deliberate over the Afghan issue as the country was facing serious humanitarian and economic crises.

While the pan-Islamic group OIC in a statement said, “the session will address many topics and the activities of the OIC General Secretariat on implementing the resolutions adopted on various issues in the Islamic world, including the issue of Palestine and Al-Quds.”

The summit will also discuss developments in Afghanistan and its humanitarian consequences for the Afghan people and the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, it added.

Many African issues will also be on the summit’s agenda, including the situation in Mali, the Sahel region, and Lake Chad, and the situation in Central Africa and the Republic of Guinea, the statement said.

The OIC foreign ministers will also discuss developments in Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, and other regions during the summit.

For the OIC CFM meeting, the Parliament House was selected as the venue, where the plenary sessions will be held.

Pakistan had a proud history of hosting major OIC events including Summits and Council of Foreign Minister (CFM) meetings. The country hosted the 2nd OIC Summit in Lahore, in February 1974. An Extraordinary OIC Summit was held in Islamabad in 1997, on the occasion of Pakistan’s Golden Jubilee.

Pakistan also hosted the OIC CFMs on four occasions – 2nd Session in December 1970, 11th Session in May 1980, 21st Session in April 1993 and the 34th Session in May 2007. The 1st and the 17th Extraordinary Sessions of the OIC CFM, were held in Islamabad, in January 1980 and December 2021, respectively.

The ambassadors of Islamic countries based in Islamabad in their messages welcomed the holding of OIC Council of Foreign Ministers meeting.