Mini-budget rescheduled due to OIC FMs moot

OIC foreign ministers' meeting to be held at Parliament House on Dec 18 and 19

ISLAMABAD:

The Parliament House will remain closed from Dec 13 to Dec 20 in connection with a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) being held on Dec 18 and 19.

The meeting of foreign ministers from the OIC is being held in Pakistan after 41 years and in this regard, all activities at the Parliament House have been suspended.

صدر مملکت ڈاکٹر عارف علوی نے قومی اسمبلی کا اجلاس 13 دسمبر کی بجائے بدھ 22 دسمبر 2021 کو شام 4 بجے طلب کر لیا۔

اجلاس آئین کے آرٹیکل 54 (1) کے تحت بلایا گیا۔

— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) December 12, 2021

The session of parliament that was supposed to take up the mini-budget has been postponed as well, in which the government was to present its mini-budget, involving fiscal adjustments and expenditure cuts worth about Rs600 billion as part of an understanding with the IMF.

President Arif Alvi has convened the session of the National Assembly on December 22 at 4pm instead of December 13, according to the official tweet. The session is convened under Article 54 (1) of the Constitution.

In addition, the employees of the National Assembly Secretariat have been sent on leave for an entire week except for the ones who have been assigned duties for the session.

This remaining staff can be called to the office on an hour’s notice and are therefore required to respond to phone calls and not leave the station without prior permission, the notification added.

Read OIC panel reaffirms unwavering support to Kashmiris’ just struggle

OIC moot

The purpose of this meeting has been set as finding a solution to Afghanistan’s problems, and to provide relief during the war-torn country’s current economic crisis.

All Islamic countries have been invited to attend the extraordinary session. Permanent members of the Security Council, European Union, United Nations and its aid agencies have also been invited to attend the OIC foreign ministers' meeting.

Diplomatic sources said OIC foreign ministers are also inviting some important countries, especially Germany, Japan, Canada and Australia, as well as the World Bank and other international financial institutions.

A high-level delegation from Afghanistan will also visit Pakistan to attend the OIC foreign ministers' meeting.

‘Pakistan counting on OIC support’

Briefing the Egyptian print and electronic media in Cairo about the FMs moot, Ambassador of Pakistan to Egypt Sajid Bilal on Sunday said that the extraordinary session was being convened in view of the serious humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

He said according to UN estimates 60% of the 38 million people in Afghanistan faced "crisis levels of hunger" and the situation was getting worse every day.

He added that with the advent of winter, the situation could aggravate the world's largest humanitarian crisis if left unattended. He added that continued engagement of the international community with Afghanistan was imperative.

The ambassador further informed the Egyptian media that the upcoming CFM would express Muslim Ummah's solidarity with the Afghan people and would galvanize international support to arrest the fast deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan in the best interest of the people of Afghanistan, the region and the world at large.

Highlighting Pakistan's consistent efforts for the well-being of the Afghan people, the ambassador recalled that the first Extraordinary session of the OIC CFM to consider Afghanistan's situation was also held in Islamabad in the 1980s.

In recent months, Pakistan's prime minister and the foreign minister have extensively engaged with the world leaders to address the humanitarian situation arising in Afghanistan since August this year, he added.

The ambassador emphasised that Pakistan was counting on the full support of OIC member states and the international community to extend all possible support to the Afghan people, adding that Pakistan, on its part, will continue to stand with its Afghan brethren.