ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday arrived in Gambia to represent Pakistan at the 15th Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit being held in Banjul on May 4-5.
Dar announced his arrival in Gambia in a post on social media platform X, erstwhile Twitter.
Dar was received by the Gambian Minister of Petroleum and Energy Nani Juwara, Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Ambassador Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi and Ambassador of Pakistan to Senegal accredited to Gambia Saima Maymunah Sayed.
The Foreign Office announced in a press release on Wednesday that Dar would also attend the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers’ Meeting preceding the summit on May 2-3. During this meeting, ministers will discuss and finalise the agenda and outcome documents for the summit.
The summit is being convened at a critical juncture for the Muslim Ummah, particularly as the conflict affecting the people of Gaza persists without resolution. It presents an important opportunity for OIC leaders to address the dire situation in Gaza and present a unified stance on the Palestinian question.
According to the press release, “At the Summit, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister will speak about Pakistan’s perspective on the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu & Kashmir, imperatives of solidarity and unity of the Ummah, rising Islamophobia, issues of climate change, terrorism, and other contemporary global challenges.”
The statement further emphasises, “He will underline the need to find collective solutions to challenges confronting the Muslim Ummah.”
On the sidelines of the summit, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister will hold bilateral meetings with leaders and foreign ministers in attendance, concluded the statement.
