Makkah (Web Desk): Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday urged the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to play an effective role in safeguarding the rights of Muslims and their religious sentiments, Radio Pakistan reported.
Addressing the 14th OIC Summit in Makkah, the PM said that the Muslim world must use the OIC platform to delink terrorism with Islam.
Terming the phenomena of blasphemy and Islamophobia in the West as failure of the OIC, he said the Organisation's inability has also led to delegitimising the Muslim political freedom struggles which were termed as 'Islamic radicalism'.
PM Imran said the people of Indian occupied Kashmir had been carrying out their political struggle for freedom but after 9/11, it was also dubbed as 'Islamic radicalism and terrorism'. He said that the people of Indian occupied Kashmir have not been given their right to self-determination as had been guaranteed by the United Nations (UN) Security Council’s resolutions.
Speaking about the Palestine-Israel issue, he said Israel started oppressing the Palestinians calling their freedom movement as 'Islamic terrorism'.
PM Imran reiterated that there is no solution to the Palestine issue except the two-state solution with East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state. OIC must “stand against oppression happening with the Muslim world”, the PM said.
Prime Minister Imran Khan also stressed upon the importance quality education in the Muslim world. “This is the area in which the Muslim world lags. I fear the Muslim world may be left behind again and this is the best forum to raise this concern,” Imran Khan added.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Imran Khan met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the sidelines of the OIC summit.
During the meeting, the two leaders discussed maters of mutual interest and took stock of the current state of bilateral political, economic and trade relations.
They agreed to expedite decisions taken during the visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Pakistan in February this year, in particular early implementation of decisions taken during the first meeting of the Supreme Coordination Council.
The prime minister also thanked the Saudi government for extending oil facility to Pakistan on deferred payments.
On Friday, Prime Minister Imran Khan also held a meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines in Makkah.
The two leaders discussed bilateral relations, regional issues and the Afghan peace and reconciliation process.
During the meeting, PM Khan reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to a peaceful and stable Afghanistan.
He underlined Pakistan's support for an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process that could lead to a political solution in the neighbouring country.
Prime Minister Imran Khan also met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on the sidelines of the OIC summit.
The PM exchanged views on a range of bilateral, regional and international matters with the Egyptian president.
The two leaders agreed to comprehensively upgrade cooperation in all fields. They also agreed to increase the frequency of bilateral political contacts and exchanges.
