TEXT: Pakistan is hosting the 48th Session of OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Islamabad, on 22-23 March 2022. The meeting also holds special significance as it will coincide with the 75th anniversary celebrations of Pakistan's independence. The people of Pakistan are looking forward to welcoming our distinguished guests from the OIC Member States on this auspicious occasion.

Pakistan has a deep and abiding commitment to the eternal Islamic virtues of amity and brotherhood. Promoting solidarity and cooperation among members of the Islamic Ummah is not only a foundational basis for our foreign policy, but is also an element of faith for us.

The guiding principles of this vision were articulated by the Father of the Nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, when in February 1948 he said, "We are members of the brotherhood of Islam in which all are equal in right, dignity and self-respect. Consequently we have a special and very deep sense of unity". Over the years, Pakistan has remained true to these lofty ideals.

As a founding member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Pakistan is committed to the vision of realizing the true potential of the Organization as the most effective and representative voice of the Muslim World. This vision would also serve as a guiding principle for the 48th Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM). I am confident that the 48th OIC CFM will provide a valuable opportunity to the leaders of the Muslim World to take tangible and practical steps towards further strengthening the bonds of Islamic solidarity and cooperation.

I wish the meeting every success.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022