ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on the invitation of his Malaysian counterpart Dr Mahathir Mohamad will participate in the Kuala Lumpur Summit on December 18-20, the Foreign Office said on Friday.“The Summit will provide Pakistan an opportunity to explain views and find solutions to the challenges facing the Muslim world particularly governance, development, terrorism and Islamophobia,” Foreign Office spokesman Dr Muhammad Faisal said at a weekly press briefing.The Summit is an initiative of Dr Mahathir to gather five Muslim nations — namely Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey, Qatar and the host Malaysia — to foster cooperation to achieve socio-economic development.According to the spokesman, the Prime Minister would also visit Geneva on December 17-18 to co-convene the first Global Refugees Forum in December in recognition of Pakistan’s generosity, hospitality and compassion for hosting the Afghan refugees for over four decades.He said several heads of states were expected to join Prime Minister Khan at the Global Refugees Forum — the first major meeting on refugees in 21st century — which would be jointly hosted by UNHCR, UN Refugees Agency, and the Swiss government.On situation in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IoJ&K), Dr Faisal urged the international community to facilitate independent media to observe sufferings of Kashmiri people who have been facing curfew and communication blackout since August 5.He rejected the impression that intensity of Pakistan’s protest over India’s unilateral decision on IoJ&K had reduced with time, saying: “The issue remained a foremost priority…The issue of Kashmir is beyond media projection. A slump in media does not mean a change in the country’s policy on Kashmir”. The spokesman said Pakistan would soon send delegations to other countries to highlight its point of view on Kashmir.Dr Faisal said Pakistan welcomed resumption of talks between the United States and Taliban, hoping the process would lead to intra-Afghan dialogue and ultimately to a peaceful and stable Afghanistan. “Pakistan maintains that there is no military solution to the conflict and encourages all parties to engage constructively as a shared responsibility,” he said.Dr Faisal categorically rejected biased remarks in a joint statement recently issued by India and Japan after a recent foreign and defence ministerial dialogue, saying Japan was well-aware of how much Pakistan suffered and sacrificed against terrorism.He mentioned that Pakistan’s anti-terrorism efforts were recognised by the then Japanese foreign minister Taro Kono, now defence minister, during his visit to Pakistan in January 2018. He said Pakistan registered a strong disappointment with Japan through diplomatic channels in view of the cordial relationship between the two countries free from historical baggage. About progress in case of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav following the verdict of International Court of Justice (ICJ), he said an update would soon be shared.Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi launched Vision Foreign Office to ensure a vibrant and effective foreign policy to protect political and economic interests of Pakistan.Addressing the launching ceremony in Islamabad on Friday, he said the launch of new website of the Foreign Office will help enhance accessibility and it will be more informative for the visitors. He said it will be followed by another launch of APP FM Direct which will connect officers of the Foreign Service to the Foreign Minister and the Foreign Office directly from any part of the world. He said FM Direct will create an environment of meritocracy in the Foreign Office.Qureshi said the Foreign Office has enlisted a secure and active video conferencing facility to connect with the key capitals of the world to get first hand and prompt knowledge of the developments taking place across the world. –APP/Sabah
12-07-2019, 10:22 AM
Imran to participate in Kuala Lumpur Summit
العرض العادي
