ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan, while addressing the inaugural session of the 48th session of Council of Foreign Ministers’ confernece of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) urged the OIC leadership to forge unity to address the problems of the Muslim Ummah.
Pakistani nation is overjoyed because all the honorable guests came to our country, the premier said and added that he is pleased to see Islamophobia being acknowledged as a reality and that something needs to be done about it.
The first day of the 48th OIC conference kicked off Tuesday at Parliament House, Islamabad, as the Council of the Foreign Ministers (CFMs) of the OIC started discussions to tackle problems faced by the Muslim world.
The theme of the 48th session is “Building Partnerships for Unity, Justice, and Development”. Over 100 resolutions will be considered during the two-day session.
PM Imran Khan started his keynote address by welcoming and congratulating all the visiting foreign ministers and excellenciesthem on the designation of March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.
“One of the ideas of OIC is to protect Islamic values,” the premier said.
He said that he believed that Islamic values have never been under threat as they are right now.
The premier said that when he became the prime minister of Pakistan he asked the police chief about the crime chart.
“I was amazed to see that the sex crimes, child abuse and rape are the fastest growing crime in this country.”
PM Imran Khan went on to say that Pakistan has an increased divorce rate, rising vulgarity, which is because the more a society gets permissive, the more it has a direct impact on the family system.
He said that one of the most important things about Islam is that it protects the family system, it has values like respecting parents and teachers.
“But [with] the culture that is coming through social media, we really need to think how we are going to protect our generations,” PM Imran Khan said.
Speaking about the Ukraine conflict, PM Imran Khan said that it could have great consequences on the rest of the world.
He suggested that the OIC should think about how the Muslim world and OIC, along with China, can mediate and put an end to the conflict.
PM Imran Khan said that almost all the commodity prices have gone up in Pakistan due to the Ukraine crisis and if the war continues, the situation in Pakistan is only going to get worse.
“All the countries who are non-partisans are in a special position to be able to influence this conflict.”
PM Imran Khan expressed his intention to discuss with the Chinese FM how OIC as a bloc and China can help in a ceasefire in Ukraine. He called on FM Qureshi to discuss the matter with the other FMs.
He concluded saying that the 1.5 million strong Muslim world should stand united and not be dragged into bloc politics. Instead, they should remain a bloc themselves and show power in bringing about peace.
Speaking about the Kashmir and Palestine issue, PM Imran Khan said that the Muslim nations have failed both the Palestinians and people of Kashmir.
“I’m sad to say that we have not been able to make any impact at all. We are 1.5 billion people but we can’t raise voice against this blatant injustice,” PM Imran Khan said.
He said that it is not about conquering a country but simply about the human rights of the Palestinians and Kashmiris.
The premier said that the international community promised the Kashmiris the right to decide their destiny through a plebiscite. That right was never given to them, he complained.
He said that it was because India does not feel any pressure.
PM Imran Khan asked the OIC nations to have a united front or else these abuses will continue.
He said that the only hope he has is because of social media, which has created awareness in the western countries for the first time about what is happening in Palestine.
In Kashmir, it’s a war crime according to the 4th Geneva Convention to change the demography of occupied land. He said that India is changing the demography of Kashmir by making its people a minority.
Saying that while the world is on the verge of a cold war and there is a chance of the world being divided into blocks, he fears that 1.5 million Muslims will be nowhere if they don’t take a united step.
PM Imran Khan said that it is extremely important that OIC nations together stabilise Afghanistan. “No nation has suffered as much as Afghanistan in the 40 years of conflict. Finally, there is no conflict going on,” he said, adding that the only danger that the country faces is sanctions and non-recognition.
“A stable Afghanistan is the only way to stop international terrorism.”
He cautioned nations not to push the people of Afghanistan to do things where they feel their sovereignty is being threatened, as he referred to the character of the Afghan people being one of pride. He said they are open-minded people who do not like to be dictated.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi welcomed the OIC foreign ministers to the conference and said that it is a matter of pride for Pakistan to host the 48th session in 2022, which marks the 77th anniversary of Pakistan’s independence.
“The OIC is the collective voice of nearly two billion Muslims. It is the bridge among the Muslim nations and between the Muslim world and the international community,” he said.
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