OIC FMs meeting begins tomorrow in Islamabad

Islamabad, May 14 (UNI) The 34th session of Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (ICFM), beginning here tomorrow, will discuss a host of issues facing the Muslim world.

''The Foreign Ministers will consider resolutions on a whole range of political, economic, social and cultural matters concerning the Muslim world,'' Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said at a press briefing here.

''The agenda includes Kashmir, Palestine, situation in Iraq and West Asia, development, Islamophobia, defamation of Islam and challenges facing the Muslim Ummah,'' he said.

She said for the first time in the history of the Organisation an interactive Ministerial session will be held on the opening day of the conference. Its theme would be ''countering discrimination and intolerance against Muslims and defamation of Islam''.

The brain storming session would provide a guidance to the OIC to engage constructively in the ongoing multilateral discourse on the need for dialogue among civilisations.

The spokesperson said besides a number of resolutions, the conference would issue a final communique and Islamabad declaration.

She said a number of important meetings will also be held on the sidelines of the conference including OIC contact on Jammu and Kashmir on ministerial level.

She noted that the OIC has maintained ''unstinted support'' for the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their ''longstanding just struggle''.

She said the Contact Group mechanism and appointment of Secretary General's special representative on Jammu and Kashmir will provide a useful impetus to the efforts aimed at supporting a peaceful solution of the Kashmir issue.

The spokesperson said Pakistan assumes chairmanship of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers at a critical time for the Muslim world.

Pakistan has always been an active member of the OIC and has an abiding commitment to its objectives and charter.

About five observers, Muslim entities like Kashmiris and Moro Muslims, international organisations and a number of organisations of the OIC family would be attending the conference besides twenty-three special invitees.

UNI