Time to Revive OIC, Voice of Muslim Ummah

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is the second largest organization after the United Nations with a membership of 57 states spread over four continents. The Organization is the collective voice of the Muslim world. It endeavors to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among various people of the world.

The Organization was established upon a decision of the historical summit which took place in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco on 12th Rajab 1389 Hijra, September 25, 1969 following the criminal arson of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem.

In 1970 the first ever meeting of Islamic Conference of Foreign Minister (ICFM) was held in Jeddah which decided to establish a permanent secretariat in Jeddah headed by the organization’s Secretary General. Hissein Brahim Taha is the 12th Secretary General who assumed the office in November 2021.

The first OIC Charter was adopted by the 3rd ICFM Session held in 1972. The Charter laid down the objectives and principles of the organization and fundamental purposes to strengthen the solidarity and cooperation among the Member States.

Over the last 40 years, the membership has grown from its founding members of 30 to 57 states. The Charter was amended to keep pace with the developments that have unraveled across the world. The present Charter of the OIC was adopted by the Eleventh Islamic Summit held in Dakar on 13-14 March 2008 to become the pillar of the OIC future Islamic action in line with the requirements of the 21st century.

The Organization has the singular honor to galvanize the Ummah into a unified body and have actively represented the Muslims by espousing all causes close to the hearts of over 1.5 billion Muslims of the world. The Organization has consultative and cooperative relations with the UN and other inter-governmental organizations to protect the vital interests of the Muslims and to work for the settlement of conflicts and disputes involving Member States. In safeguarding the true values of Islam and the Muslims, the organization has taken various steps to remove misperceptions and has strongly advocated elimination of discrimination against Muslims in all forms and manifestations.

The Member States of the OIC face many challenges in the 21st century and to address those challenges, the Third Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Summit held in Makkah in December 2005, laid down the blue print called the Ten-Year Program of Action. It successfully concluded with the close of 2015. A successor program for the next decade (2016-2025) has since then been adopted.

The new program OIC-2025 is anchored in the provisions of the OIC Charter and focuses on 18 priority areas with 107 goals.

The priority areas include issues of Peace and Security, Palestine and Al-Quds, Poverty Alleviation, Counter-terrorism, Investment and Finance, Food Security, Science and Technology, Climate Change and Sustainability, Moderation, Culture and Interfaith Harmony, Empowerment of Women, Joint Islamic Humanitarian Action, Human Rights and Good Governance, among others. 

Among the OIC’s key bodies: the Islamic Summit, the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM), the General Secretariat, in addition to the Al-Quds Committee and three permanent committees concerned with science and technology, economy and trade, and information and culture.

There are also specialized organs under the banner of the OIC including the Islamic Development Bank and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, as well as subsidiary and affiliate organs that play a vital role in boosting cooperation in various fields among the OIC member states.

 

76th Anniversary of Nakba

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) issued a statement on the 76th anniversary of the Nakba when Palestinians were violently expelled from their lands to make way for the formation of Israel.

The statement said the Nakba continues today through crimes of murder, destruction, forced displacement, and genocide as a result of the continuing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, Al Jazeera reported. 

“The OIC reaffirms the responsibility of the international community towards the necessity of putting an end to the Israeli occupation and activating international justice mechanisms to hold Israel, the occupying power, accountable for the crimes it has committed against humanity, and to rectify the historical injustice that continues to befall the Palestinian people,” the statement added. 

 

United States needs war in Gaza

A summit by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) resulted in a blanket condemnation of Israel, but lacked substantive solutions. The summit was sabotaged by Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco, who recently normalized relations with Israel. These countries block significant actions due to extensive US influence and future geopolitical calculations, causing disappointment among the international Muslim community.

After all, the Arab street – even while repressed in their home nations – has pulsed with protests expressing ferocious rage against Israel’s wholesale massacre of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Arab leaders were forced to take some sort of action beyond suspending a few ambassadorships with Israel, and called for a special Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit to discuss the ongoing Israeli war against Palestinian children.

Representatives of 57 Muslim states convened in Riyadh on 11 November to deliver a serious, practical blow against genocidal practitioners and enablers. But in the end, nothing was offered, not even solace.

The OIC’s final statement will always be enshrined in the Gilded Palace of Cowardice. Highlights of the tawdry rhetorical show: we oppose Israel’s self-defense; we condemn the attack on Gaza; we ask (who?) not to sell weapons to Israel; we request the kangaroo ICC to investigate war crimes; we request a UN resolution condemning Israel.

For the record, that’s the best 57 Muslim-majority countries could drum up in response to this 21st-century genocide. History, even if written by victors, tends to be unforgiving towards cowards.

The Top Four Cowards, in this instance, are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco – the latter three having normalized relations with Israel under a heavy US hand in 2020. These are the ones that consistently blocked serious measures from being adopted at the OIC summit, such as the Algerian draft proposal for an oil ban on Israel, plus banning the use of Arab airspace to deliver weapons to the occupation state.

Egypt and Jordan – longtime Arab vassals – were also non-committal, as well as Sudan, which is in the middle of a civil war. Turkiye, under Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan, once again showed it is all talk and no action; a neo-Ottoman parody of the Texan “all hat, no cattle.”

Iran offers to host OIC meeting on Palestine

Iran has officially expressed readiness to host an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Permanent Mission in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Jeddah sent an official letter on Tuesday to the secretariat of the organization, announcing Iran’s readiness to host an emergency meeting of the foreign ministers of the organization on Palestine, the Iranian foreign ministry said.

The mission also conveyed Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian’s gratitude to OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha for exchanging views during their constructive negotiations on the developments in Palestine.

The mission officially said the Islamic Republic of Iran is fully ready to host the extraordinary ministerial meeting of the OIC.

The following is text of the official letter by Iran’s mission to the OIC:

Following the phone call on Monday, October 9, 2023, between the Honorable Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, with the Honorable Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Hissein Brahim Taha, on the beastly crimes being perpetrated by the Zionist regime against Palestinian civilians, especially in the we would like to express Amir Abdollahian’s gratitude for the opportunity provided to exchange views with the honorable secretary general and his constructive negotiations with him on the issue.

The foreign minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran expressed his deep hatred and concern about the criminal actions by the Zionist regime against the Palestinian people as vivid examples of war crimes and genocide, and announced that the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns the massive military and savage moves by the Zionist regime of Israel in Palestine that have so far led to the martyrdom and injury of hundreds of children of the Palestinian nation, especially infants, kids and women.

Amir Abdollahian thanked Hissein Brahim Taha for his timely condemnation of the regime’s actions and emphasized that the apartheid and child-killing regime is responsible in this context.

He stressed that considering the high sensitivity of the case, the OIC should swiftly deal with the important matter at the highest possible level and informed the secretary general of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s full readiness to host the emergency meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Tehran, in the first agreed opportunity.

It was decided that the proposal would be submitted to the secretariat in writing.

Hereby, we would be grateful if the OIC secretariat immediately starts the necessary consultations with the member states of the organization on the proposal by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s government and announce the final result to the mission in order to advance the procedures.

OIC condemns killing of Palestinians in Nablus

The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has condemned the horrific crime committed by the Israeli occupation forces in the Palestinian city of Nablus.

The OIC called on the international community to intervene to put an end to these ongoing Israeli crimes and provide protection to the Palestinians.

The Israeli army has killed at least three Palestinian fighters and wounded four others while firing live ammunition during a raid in Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian officials.

The Israeli army and intelligence service said in a statement that the men were behind a attack on April 07 north of Jericho that killed two British-Israeli sisters when gunmen opened fire on their vehicle. Their mother also later died of her wounds.

Hamas, which is governing the besieged Gaza Strip, said the three men who were killed on Thursday were members of its armed wing.

Hamas, in its statement, claimed responsibility for the attack near Jericho that killed Rina and Maia Dee, and their mother Lucy, residents of the illegal settlement of Efrat, south of Jerusalem.

More than half a million Israelis live in some 200 settlements built on Palestinian land considered illegal under international laws.

The British-Israelis had been on a family outing during the Passover holiday, according to a statement issued by the council of Efrat, the Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank where they lived.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told Al Jazeera that “the occupation is completely delusional that by committing its crime in Nablus, it will stop the resistance in the West Bank.”

The Al Qassam Brigade, the armed wing of Hamas, identified the men killed on Thursday as Hassan Qatanani, Muath al-Masri, and Ibrahim Jaber.

The brigade called them “heroes of the Jordan Valley operation that was carried out about a month ago, in which three settlers were killed, in response to the occupation’s crimes against Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the assault on Muslim women.”

As the funerals of the three men were held, political factions in Nablus went on a general strike on Thursday in response to the raid.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said four people were transferred to hospital for treatment and at least 150 people, including schoolchildren, suffered tear gas inhalation.

The raid followed an exchange of cross-border strikes between Israel and Gaza earlier in the week and more than a year of intensifying violence that has seen repeated Israeli raids in the West Bank as well as a series of attacks by Palestinians on Israelis.

Locals in Nablus said large numbers of Israeli troops, including undercover units, raided the Old City as residents were starting the day. The soldiers surrounded one house and exchanged fire with the Palestinian fighters inside, they said.

“So many men from the city have been killed,” a man who identified himself only as Kareem for fear of reprisals told the Associated Press news agency. “We are used to these raids. That’s the story of life in Nablus.”

Reporting from the city, Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim said there was “a tense mood”.

“We’ve heard chants of defiance at the funerals and vows to retaliate,” she said.

OIC vehemently denounces Israeli assaults on Al-Aqsa Mosque

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has strongly denounced the hazardous escalation by Israeli occupation forces and terrorist settlers who repeatedly attacked the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of Ramadan.

The OIC issued a communiqué on Saturday following an unusual open-ended meeting of the organization’s Executive Committee. The communiqué decried ongoing Israeli aggression on the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The full text of the communiqué is as follows:

The Executive Committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) reaffirmed the centrality of the Palestinian Cause, with Al-Quds Ash-Sharif and its sanctities at its heart, for the entire Islamic Ummah, and the eternal attachment of Muslims all over the world to the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, the first of the two Qiblas and the third of the Holy Mosques, as well as affirming the Arab and Islamic identity of occupied East Al-Quds, the capital of the State of Palestine and dismissing any prejudice to that in any way:

1. Condemns in the strongest terms the dangerous escalation by the Israeli occupation forces and terrorist settlers by repeatedly storming the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Ash-Sharif during the blessed month of Ramadan, culminating in the atrocious brutal attack on the night of Ramadan 14 on worshipers and those stationed in its courtyards while performing their prayers and rituals, including women and children, wounding and arresting hundreds of them, and damaging the Qibli Mosque in a flagrant provocation to the feelings of Muslims all over the world, an attack on the existing legal and historical situation, and a severe violation of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions,

2. Warns of the consequences of the continued infringement by the Israeli occupation authorities, their officials, and terrorist settlers on the sanctity of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Ash-Sharif, including continuous provocations, abuses, daily severe assaults, and incursions in gross violation of international law and unprecedented tampering with the existing historical and legal situation to perpetuate the temporal and spatial division of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and stresses that the Israeli occupation has no sovereignty over any part of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Ash-Sharif and that Muslim worshipers have the absolute right to pray freely and safely in and around it, at any time, without any hindrance or violence inflicted on them,

3. Holds Israel, the occupying power, accountable for the consequences of these dangerous and provocative actions of its racist government, as it continues to seek, through systematic brutal attacks, deliberate provocation, and repeated incitement, to inflame the situation and provoke a religious confrontation with unforeseen consequences, warns of the possible repercussions on international peace and security, and calls on the international community, and in particular the UN Security Council, in its capacity as responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security, to assume its responsibilities and take urgent action and necessary measures to deter and stop the dangerous Israeli escalation and all other illegal and provocative measures and policies that affect the occupied city of Al-Quds and the sanctity of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Ash-Sharif, without selectivity or double standards,

4. Appreciates the positions of the countries that expressed their rejection and condemnation of the provocative and aggressive Israeli incursions into the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, calls on them to take practical steps, including imposing sanctions on the Israeli colonial regime, to stop these practices and all its illegal measures and policies, and stresses in this context the responsibility of the state parties in the Geneva Conventions, that Israel, the illegal colonial occupying Power, must be held accountable for all its violations of international humanitarian law, whether by its government officials, military forces, or extremist settlers,

5. Pays tribute to the steadfast Palestinian citizens in the city of Al-Quds, and affirms its standing with them and supporting their heroic steadfastness in all possible ways. It also affirms the sovereignty of the Palestinian people over Al-Quds Ash-Sharif and all its holy places and the old town of Al-Quds and its walls and that all measures taken or intended to be taken by the Israeli colonial occupation authorities, which seek to change the character and legal status of the city or its demographic composition, are null and void and have no legal effect,

6. Affirms the historical Jordanian Hashemite Custodianship over the Islamic and Christian holy places in the city of Al-Quds and its role in protecting these sanctities and preserving the existing legal and historical status therein and emphasizes that the Department of Al-Quds Endowments and Affairs of the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Ash-Sharif affiliated to the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf, Islamic Affairs, and Holy Places is the authority authorized to manage the affairs of the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Ash-Sharif,

7. Reaffirms the important role of the Al-Quds Committee under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohamed VI, of Morocco, in challenging the detrimental policies implemented by the Israeli occupation authorities in Al-Quds Al-Sharif to change the character and legal status of the city as well as its demographic, cultural and historical composition; and values the role of Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agency.

8. Calls on the OIC Member States and General Secretariat to take urgent action to address these severe attacks and activate the mechanisms stipulated in its relevant resolutions to move at all levels and send urgent messages to the concerned international bodies, including the UN Security Council, reflecting the OIC positions in this regard and stressing the request to provide international protection for the

Palestinian people and the occupied city of Al-Quds Ash-Sharif and its sanctities, specifically the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Ash-Sharif, in the face of illegal attempts to change their current legal and historical situation,

9. Reaffirms the importance of continuing coordination and cooperation among the OIC, the League of Arab States (LAS), and the African Union (AU) to protect the occupied city of Al-Quds against systematic Israeli policies and attacks.

10. Calls on the ambassadors of the OIC Member States to act and convey the contents of this communique to the capitals of influential countries around the world.

11. Calls on the Islamic Group at the relevant international organizations to act and initiate the necessary consultations and measures to confront and stop the systematic Israeli aggressions in the occupied city of Al-Quds.

12. Affirms its continued follow-up of all developments related to the Holy City of Al-Quds, specifically the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque/ Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Ash-Sharif, and to take the appropriate steps in this regard, as stipulated in the resolutions of the Islamic summits and the Councils of Foreign Ministers.

 

Raisi demands urgent OIC meeting over Israeli attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to requisite an urgent meeting to discuss the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories after Israeli forces stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque violently overnight, fired stun grenades, and attacked Palestinian worshipers.

During a phone call with his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo on Thursday, he demanded that the 57-member body call an emergency meeting to come to a consensus on how to defend the rights of defenseless Palestinians and confront the crimes of the Tel Aviv regime.

The Iranian president stressed that the support for the rights of the Palestinian nation and fight against the Zionist regime constitute an underlying principle of the Muslim Ummah, referring to Palestine as the beating heart of the Muslim world.

“The unity of the Muslim world remains essential in order to face down the aggression and crimes committed by the Zionist regime,” he continued.

The Iranian president stated that the Muslim world, as a powerful bloc in global politics, needs more unification.

Raisi declared that Iran supports any activity aimed at fostering better ties among Muslim nations as a result.

Widodo, for his part, supported his Iranian counterpart’s request for an urgent OIC conference on Palestine in the hopes that it would strengthen ties between Muslim-majority countries.

The OIC General Secretariat announced shortly after the call that an urgent, extended meeting of the Executive Committee at the level of Permanent Representatives would be held on Saturday at the OIC’s Jeddah headquarters to discuss the incursions and assaults committed by Israeli occupation forces against the al-Aqsa Mosque and its worshippers.

Israeli troops attempted to drive Palestinian worshipers from the holy site on Wednesday by firing rubber bullets and grenades during their second consecutive raid on the location. In reaction, worshipers flung items at the Israeli soldiers.

At least six individuals were hurt in the most recent flare-up, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

Concern and dismay about Israeli soldiers’ invasions inside the mosque have been voiced by the UN, Iran, Turkey, and several other nations and organizations.

Images showing Israeli security personnel abusing individuals at the Al-Aqsa Mosque surprised and disgusted UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, his spokesperson said on Wednesday.

According to Stephane Dujarric, Guterres found it particularly upsetting because the violence and beating took place during a time of a calendar which is holy to Jews, Christians, and Muslims that should be a time for peace and nonviolence.

He said, “Places of worship should only be utilized for lawful religious practices.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian criticized Israel for defiling the Al-Aqsa Mosque and asserted that the tide of Islamic world unity has bewildered the Israelis.

In a tweet on Thursday, he said, “The desecration of al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli forces and their night raid on worshipers of the holy site created painful scenes that are the result of the behavior of human rights advocates who turn a blind eye to Zionism’s crimes.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Key takeaways from Imran Khan’s Address to OIC Foreign Ministers

According to Reuters, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday suggested that close ally China and Islamic countries mediate in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and try to bring about a ceasefire.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is holding the 48th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers, which more than 600 delegates are attending, including Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as a special guest, in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.

"May I suggest that OIC during its discussion with foreign ministers, we should think about how we can mediate, how we can bring about the ceasefire," Khan told the gathering.

"I want to discuss how, maybe OIC along with China, we can all step in and try to stop this conflict which is going to have, if it keeps going the way it is, it would have great consequences for the rest of the world."

Khan's comments came hours after China and Pakistan echoed concerns about "spill-over effects of unilateral sanctions" on Russia, according to a statement by the Chinese foreign ministry.

Khan was in Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin the day Russian forces entered Ukraine. Pakistan has expressed concern about the repercussions of the invasion but also stopped short of condemning it.

Pakistan abstained from the UN General Assembly vote that condemned Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

According to Pakistan’s leading English Newspaper, Prime Minister Imran Khan delivered a keynote address at the inaugural session of the 48th Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the Parliament House in Islamabad on Tuesday.

While talking about the OIC's role, he said, "We have failed both the Palestinians and the people of Kashmir. I am sad to say that we have been able to make no impact at all."

The premier said Western countries did "not take the OIC seriously" because "we are a divided house and those powers know it.

"We (Muslims) are 1.5 billion people and yet our voice to stop this blatant injustice is insignificant."

Khan said international law was on the side of the people of Palestine and Kashmir, adding that the United Nations Security Council's resolutions backed the right of the Kashmiris to self-determination through a plebiscite. However, the international community never ensured that right was given, he said.

Referring to India's stripping of occupied Kashmir's special status in August 2019, he said nothing happened because they (India) felt no pressure. "They feel we can just pass a resolution and then go back to our usual business."

He said India was changing the demography in occupied Kashmir by bringing in settlers from outside but "no one has pushed about it because they think we are ineffective."

Afghanistan and Ukraine

The premier also spoke about the global situation, expressing his apprehension that the world is "headed in the wrong way".

A new Cold War had almost started and the world could be divided into blocs, he said, stressing that unless 1.5 billion Muslims take a united stand, "we will be nowhere."

No other people had suffered as much as the people of Afghanistan, he said, adding that for the first time in 40 years, there was "no conflict" in the war-torn country. "The only danger now is through the sanctions [imposed on Afghanistan] and non-recognition", which could cause a humanitarian crisis, he cautioned.

Talking about the ongoing war in Ukraine, Khan suggested that the OIC foreign ministers should discuss how the body could "mediate; try to bring about a ceasefire and an end to the conflict".

If the war continued, it would have "great consequences for the world", he cautioned. "All countries that are non-partisan are in a special position to be able to influence this conflict."

He again repeated his suggestion that the foreign ministers discuss the issue, adding that he would also talk about it with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi about how the OIC, along with China, "can influence the events in Ukraine and stop this and have some ceasefire and resolve this conflict".

Meeting agenda

During the two-day conference, more than 100 resolutions will be overviewed. The agenda of the meeting covers a review of the developments affecting the Muslim world since the last CFM held in Niamey in 2020 and efforts undertaken by the secretariat for the implementation of resolutions adopted in previous sessions, especially on Palestine and Al Quds.

The participants would also deliberate on the situation in Afghanistan and India-held Jammu and Kashmir.

Issues pertaining to Africa and Muslims in Europe and developments in Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, and Syria, will also be taken up at the meeting.

The agenda, moreover, includes Islamophobia and issues related to international terrorism and cooperation in economic, cultural, social, humanitarian, and scientific domains.

On March 23, foreign ministers will visit the venue of the Pakistan Day parade. Later in the day, FM Qureshi along with OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha will hold a joint press stakeout following the conclusion of the session.

Pakistan to host OIC foreign ministers’ meeting to avert human crisis in Afghanistan

Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday said Pakistan would host a session of Council of Foreign Ministers of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on December 19. It will focus on highlighting the need for urgent assistance and mobilization of resources to avert a humanitarian crisis and economic collapse in Afghanistan.

“If we don’t pay timely attention, half of Afghanistan’s population or 22.8 million people can face food shortage and 3.2 millio children may face malnutrition. This is the magnitude which we and the world should understand,” Qureshi said while talking to the media in Lahore.

Considering the gravity of the situation, he said Pakistan made an effort and moved ahead to host the international event while realizing that, if not addressed timely, the situation would have dire consequences for "Afghanistan, its neighbors as well as the whole region".

Qureshi stressed that Afghanistan could face economic collapse if its frozen assets were not released to cope with the burgeoning needs.

He also pointed out that such a session of the OIC FMs on the Afghanistan situation would be held after 41 years with the first held in 1980. The foreign minister added that besides the foreign ministers of the OIC countries, Pakistan had also invited the special representatives of P-5 countries including the United States, China, Russia, France and the United Kingdom.

Invitations were also extended to the European Union's high representative on foreign affairs and international organizations such as the World Bank and relevant United Nations agencies which could assist in the whole process.

Important countries such as Germany, Japan, Canada and Australia would be invited as well with the objective of "evolving an international consensus".

Qureshi said that Pakistan also wanted to invite a high-level delegation of Afghanistan to interact with the visiting dignitaries and apprise them of the latest on-ground situation.

He noted that senior officials of the respective countries would be meeting prior to the session and officials of the OIC Secretariat would be arriving earlier around Dec 1 to oversee the preparations.

Qureshi said the idea of holding the session on Afghanistan emerged during the meeting between Prime Minister Imran Khan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on the sideline of the Green Summit in October.

As Afghanistan was a founding OIC member, he said it was discussed that the Ummah should make efforts to steer it out of the difficult situation. Qureshi thanked Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud for taking a "keen interest" to achieve consensus on the issue.

Qureshi stressed that abandoning Afghanistan would be a "historic blunder and the world should learn from the past instead of repeating the same mistake".

“If timely attention is not paid, a new crisis can emerge which would bring in instability. This instability will beget mass exodus of refugees. We are already hosting 3m Afghan refugees and it will be difficult to host anymore. The countries like Iran, Tajikistan, and other bordering countries are also similarly concerned,” he said.

The foreign minister also told the media he would meet the EU high representative and EU parliamentarians in Brussels on Dec 7 to apprise them on Afghanistan's situation.

Qureshi said after the withdrawal of troops and the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, India had launched a campaign to sanction Pakistan by blaming it for the Afghan situation. "However, due to its effective foreign policy, Pakistan thwarted all such Indian designs," the foreign minister added.

He said the international community had been convinced in the wake of Pakistan's diplomatic outreach that engagement with Afghanistan was in everyone’s interest as delegates had started visiting the country.

The foreign minister added that in collaboration with China, a platform of six neighboring countries was also formed to discuss the situation and explore opportunities after the revival of peace in Afghanistan.

Qureshi also highlighted that Pakistan was already assisting Afghans by dispatching medicines, 50,000 tons of wheat and other relief items. He added that India was also allowed to transport wheat through Pakistan.