BY Imran Nasir

ISLAMABAD - The 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will start Tuesday in Pakistan's capital Islamabad.

The theme of the two-day ministerial conference is “Partnering for Unity, Justice and Development.”

Foreign ministers and high-level dignitaries from OIC member and observer states will be attending the CFM, according to Pakistan Foreign Ministry statement.

Chinese Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi will also attend the Islamic world top diplomates summit as a special guest.
Senior officials from the UN and other non-OIC countries including representatives from the regional and international organizations, including the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council, will also participate.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan will deliver the keynote address at the inaugural session and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will chair the CFM.

"Apart from an appraisal of the global and regional landscapes, the CFM will inter alia reaffirm the long-standing solidarity and support of its membership with the people of Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir; reiterate its resolve to combat rising Islamophobia, and discuss strategies to counter the effects of climate change, vaccine inequity and erosion in progress towards the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)," said the Foreign Ministry in its statement .

The OIC Foreign Ministers will also discuss the "grave human rights and humanitarian situation" in Indian illegally occupied Kashmir, while the ministerial meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir will also take place on the sidelines, according to the statement.

The ministerial meeting will also discuss the current situation and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

The meeting is expected to adopt over 100 resolutions on a broad range of issues, including peace and security, economic development, cultural and scientific cooperation and humanitarian, legal, administrative and financial matters.
The OIC Foreign Ministers will also participate in the March 23 Pakistan national day parade. The an impressive grand military parade will held in the capital Islamabad which is part of the Pakistan Day celebrations.

While , the OIC CFM session will also coincide with the 75th anniversary celebrations of Pakistan’s Independence.

Welcoming the participants, Prime Minister Khan said in a tweet that the people of Pakistan are honored with their presence. "I warmly welcome Foreign Ministers & delegations from OIC mbr states, observers, partners & intl orgs to #48OICCFM in Islamabad. Under overarching theme of ‘Unity, Justice & Development’, OIC-CFM will have wide-ranging deliberations. People of 🇵🇰 are honoured with your presence," Khan said