48Meeting of OIC Foreign Minister

Islamabad [Pakistan], : Amid political and economic turmoil in a dire situation, Pakistan will host an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting of Foreign Minister from March 22-23 in Islamabad. The 48th OIC-CFM Summit will be held on March 22 and 23 under the theme: “Building Partnership, Justice, and Development,” reports Geo News. Speaking on Twitter, Foreign Office spokeswoman Asim Iftikhar said the session would coincide with the 75th anniversary celebrations of Pakistan Independence Day. The meeting comes at a time when Prime Minister Imran Khan has to deal with a no-confidence motion tabled by opposition parties on March 25 and between the International Money Fund (IMF) seeking an explanation in Pakistan on how to fund the $ 1.5 billion grant. announced by Imran Khan. Earlier in the day, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad had said the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (OIC-CFM) session was an international event in the country and no one would ever create an obstacle in it, reports Geo News. Speaking to a private television station, he challenged the opposition parties to try to stop the rhetoric, adding that the state would fully protect it. He reacted strongly to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's warning to arrange to sit in the National Assembly and block the OIC Council of FMs meeting in the Capital. PTI Secretary-General and Planning Minister Asad Umar responded strongly to a statement made by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari against the OIC Summit, saying he had always been afraid to speak out in defense of the Islamic people. "Bilawal Zardari! We knew you were always afraid to speak out in defense of the Islamic people and their rights, but we did not expect him to express such anti-Muslim sentiments by publicly threatening to disrupt the OIC summit," he said. reports Geo News. Meanwhile, the IMF has begun the seventh revision of the USD 6 billion rescue package agreed with Pakistan in 2019 after Khan announced a subsidy for fuel and electricity, reports Geo News. Embattled Khan, who has been accused of plotting to oust him from opposition parties, has announced a reduction in the price of petrol and electricity despite the sharp rise in the oil market. The IMF has also asked that it will need to see the State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) share agreements and details of backup funds that the central government will receive from the provinces. The South Asian country had to take steps to tighten its grip to pass its final IMF review, which was delayed for months as the government struggled to end a prerequisite needed by the lender to release USD 1 billion in February. In addition, in a statement, the OIC said the session would address a wide range of topics and activities of the OIC General Secretariat in implementing resolutions adopted on various issues of the Islamic world, including the Palestinian and Al-Quds issues. The conference will also discuss the events in Afghanistan and its effects on humanity for the Afghan people, we read in a statement. The statement also said that many African issues would also be on the agenda of the summit, including the state of Mali, the Sahel region, and Lake Chad, as well as the situation in Central Africa and the Republic of Guinea. It said OIC Foreign Ministers would also discuss developments in Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Syria and other regions at the summit.