OIC Secretary General to arrive in Pakistan on Saturday

ISLAMABAD: Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha will lead a five-member delegation to Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) from December 10-12, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Thursday.

According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO) the visit – taking place at the invitation of Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari – will be his first country visit since assuming office in November 2021.

During his visit, Secretary General will call on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and hold a delegation-level meeting with the foreign minister.

The OIC Secretary General will also meet with the Minister of Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan Affairs, the Minister of Information Technology, and the Minister of Commerce. He will also visit Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

The Foreign Office said during bilateral talks, the OIC Secretary General and the Foreign Minister would discuss inter alia issues on the agenda of OIC including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, Islamophobia, and the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

“It will also be an opportunity to exchange views on vital issues of economic, social, and technological cooperation among OIC member countries,” the statement added.

As Chair of the Council of Foreign Ministers, Pakistan has worked towards fully activating the OIC peace and security architecture to resolve disputes and conflicts, established the OIC Trust Fund to channel dire humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, provided a leadership role to address the abhorrent phenomena of Islamophobia and promote cooperation between OIC member states in the domain of trade, commerce, food security, science, and technology.

“The Secretary General’s visit will enable exchange of views on how OIC can galvanize itself further to deliver on the aspirations of 1.9 billion Muslims that it represents,” it added.