PM Imran leaves to attend OIC in Makkah

The summit convenes every three years to make decisions on conflicts and crises in Muslim-majority countries

Prime Minister Imran Khan left for Makkah on Friday to represent Pakistan in the 14th Islamic Summit Conference.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz will chair the Organisation of Islamic Coordination (OIC) conference, a longstanding gathering of heads of states that dates back 50 years.

The summit convenes every three years to make decisions about how to confront and contain conflicts and crises in Muslim-majority countries.

The conference will focus on challenges faced by the Muslim community as it enters a new era with the aim to reach a unified stance.

Qureshi departs for Saudi Arabia to attend OIC FM's moot

A meeting of the OIC countries’ foreign ministers will precede the heads of states session to finalise the draft for ‘Makkah Memo’ to be presented and approved at the conference. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will represent Pakistan in this meeting.

In addition to heads-of-states conference, a meeting of OIC’s coordination group for Kashmir will also be held which is of key importance. This meeting will discuss the prevalent situation in Kashmir.

During the meeting, Kashmir’s representatives will brief the OIC’s coordination group regarding atrocities taking place in the valley along with the human rights violations.

The agenda of the heads-of-states conference also includes discussion on the Palestine crisis and recent atrocities on Muslim minorities, Islamophobia, terrorism and extremism as well as economic, cultural and social issues surrounding the Muslim world.

The 13th session of Islamic heads of state took place in Turkey in 2016.