TEXT: On the occasion of the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC being convened in this beautiful city of Islamabad, it is my immense pleasure to convey best wishes to the Government and people of Islamic Republic of Pakistan and all OIC Member States. It is a further joy that this OIC gathering is taking place when Pakistan is celebrating its 75th Anniversary of Independence. On this auspicious occasion, I pay special tribute to the founding father of Pakistan,

Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and extend my sincere greetings to H.E President Arif Alvi, H.E. Prime Minister Imran Khan, the Government and people of Pakistan. As a founding member of the OIC, Pakistan has always played a vital role in the development of the Organization and in promotion of its Charter objectives. During the past 5 decades, Pakistan has hosted many conferences and made invaluable contributions to strengthen the Organization.

The eminent Pakistani lawyer, late Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada served as the OIC Secretary General (1985-1988). May Allah Almighty bless his soul. Since inception, OIC stood as a symbol of unity of the Ummah. From day one, the Organization has taken up the responsibility of uniting efforts to defend the causes of the Ummah, achieve political stability, economic prosperity and social well-being for its people, as enshrined in the OIC Charter.

Amid unprecedented crises including the Covid-19 pandemic, and raging global conflicts, OIC Member States have demonstrated continuous commitment to preserve international peace and sustainable development, through Islamic values of unity and cooperation. Every OIC CFM offers an opportunity for Member States to analyze and self-reflect in terms of the past and present, assess the progress made, as well as review future prospects emerging for our Organization and joint Islamic action. The theme adopted for the 48th session, “Partnering for Unity, Justice and Development”, augurswell in strengthening the resolve of the Member States towards the OIC Charter objectives of promoting and consolidating solidarity among them, guided by the noble Islamic values of unity and fraternity. Wishing full success to the 48th Session of the OIC CFM, I pray Almighty Allah to strengthen cooperation and solidarity within the Muslim Ummah and among the Member States of the OIC. Ameen!

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022