By Linus Aleke
The Pakistan High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ambassador Muhammad Tayyab Azam has expressed optimism that Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, and the Benin Republic, will fully participate in the 48th Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) scheduled for March 22-23, 2022, in Islamabad, Pakistan.
He also applauded the contributions of the aforesaid countries in the past gathering, adding that their contributions to the upcoming session will be highly appreciated.
The High Commissioner who expressed this optimism during a press briefing in Abuja, also disclosed that he looks forward to the participation of Nigerian delegation to the 48th Session of the OIC-CFM led by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada.
“Foreign Minister of Pakistan sent invitations personally to Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon, and Gabon,” he said.
The Pakistani Envoy said that having successfully organized the 17th Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers on the Humanitarian Situation in Afghanistan with the valuable support and cooperation of Member States, his country now looks forward to charting out joint Islamic action on wide-ranging issues at the regular session of the CFM, in the true spirit of Islamic solidarity.
The Session, he further revealed will coincide with the 75th-anniversary celebrations of Pakistan’s establishment in 1947.
“Accordingly, the visiting dignitaries will also be invited as ‘Guests of Honour,’ to attend the Pakistan Day Parade, on 23 March 2022. Pakistan has a proud history of hosting major OIC events including Summits and Council of Foreign Minister (CFM) meetings. We 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 has also hosted the OIC CFMs on four occasions – the 2nd Session in December 1970, 1lth Session in May 1980, 21’t Session in April 1993, and the 34th Session in May 2007. Whereas, 17th Extraordinary Session of the OIC CFM, was held in Islamabad, in January 1980 and December 2021, respectively,” He recalled.
Ambassador Azam also noted that it would be Pakistan’s distinct privilege to host the 48th CFM, in Islamabad, on 22-23 March 2022 (after a hiatus of nearly 15 years).
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He explained: “This Session will coincide with the 75th-anniversary celebrations of Pakistan’s independence. We look forward to welcoming OIC Foreign Ministers to Pakistan on this ‘special’ occasion. The Islamic world is faced with a plethora of challenges. The people of Palestine and the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, continue to be deprived of their inalienable right to self-determination. The rising tide of Islamophobia and hate speech threatens Muslim communities across many parts of the world. Millions of our Afghan brethren remain at the mercy of the elements and confront an uncertain future at the hands of hunger and disease. The deleterious impact of the Covid- l9 pandemic is yet to be fully contained. Pakistan remains deeply committed to the eternal Islamic virtues of amity and brotherhood. Promoting solidarity and cooperation between members of the Islamic Ummah is not only a foundational basis of our foreign policy, but it is also an element of faith for us”.
The diplomat noted that the guiding principles of the above vision were laid by the Father of the Nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who described Pakistan’s policy towards the Islamic States as one of abiding ‘friendship and goodwill’.
