PM Imran in Saudi Arabia to attend OIC summit

Published May 30, 2019
Prime Minister Imran Khan arrives in Madina on Thursday. — Photo courtesy PTI Twitter account
Prime Minister Imran Khan arrives in Madina on Thursday. — Photo courtesy PTI Twitter account

Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived in Madina on Thursday on an official trip to Saudi Arabia where he will represent Pakistan at the two-day summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

The summit titled "Makkah Summit: Together for the Future" is scheduled to begin today, and will be chaired by Saudi King Salman. The purpose of the summit is to develop a unified stance on events underway in the Muslim world.

The premier, after arriving in the Kingdom on Thursday, visited the Holy Prophet's (PBUH) resting place and offered prayers in Masjid-i-Nabvi.

He then went to Jeddah where he was received by Governor Makkah Region Prince Khalid bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at the Royal Terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport upon arrival.

Afterwards, the prime minister accompanied by his wife Bushra Bibi and a delegation — comprising chief ministers of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Prime Minister's Special Assistant on Political Affairs Naeemul Haque, Minister of Communications Murad Saeed and other officials — visited Makkah where they performed Umrah.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to attend the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC. The meeting is said to set the tone for the summit.

During the foreign ministers' meeting, Qureshi directed the participants' attention towards the human rights violations that are being carried out in Indian-occupied Kashmir and Palestine. He urged member states to support the constitution of a commission under the United Nations to investigate the atrocities being committed in held Kashmir.

He also called for measures to ensure the safety of Palestinians who he said were being persecuted by Israeli forces.

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