Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Tuesday said Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was a very important forum and Muslims of the world had great expectations from it.
She said Muslim states needed to adopt a united stance and prepare a comprehensive strategy to deal with challenges facing the Muslim Ummah, such as Islamophobia, a message received here from Jeddah said.
Talking to Pakistani community and media persons in Jeddah she said Muslim Ummah should adopt a united approach and formulate a collective comprehensive strategy to cope with challenges being faced by Ummah including recently emerging extremist mindset of Islamophobia.
She said latest incident of Norway in which an effort to desecrate a copy of the Holy Quran was highly condemnable. She said the Holy Quran was the best charter of human rights.
The special assistant said Pakistan, being a pioneer member of the OIC, was desirous of promotion of cooperation among Muslim countries. She said the role being played by each country and its leadership was being written in the annuls of history and Pakistan had a key role at this critical juncture of history as it was created in the name of Islam. The present government under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan was striving to transform Pakistan on the model of state of Madina, she said.
Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said during past 72 years, the rulers did not introduce any reforms to prolong their personal rule but the present government had introduced reforms to strengthen institutions and provide relief to the common man.
She said the present government faced worst type of financial deficit when it came into power but due to its pragmatic policies the economy was on the path of revival and soon its fruits would reach the common man.
Meanwhile, Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Tuesday stressed the need to have unanimous stance and a comprehensive strategy on the issues being faced by the Ummah and to counter the challenge of Islamophobia . In a tweet, the SAPM said that for the prevention of Norway-like incidents in future there was need of legislation at world level to ensure respect of the holy books and personalities of all religions. Such incidents should be treated as crime and the persons involved should be brought to book. OIC was the highest platform to strengthen mutual bonds between the Muslim counties and uniting the Ummah, she remarked.
She said that representing Pakistan in the golden jubilee celebrations of the OIC was a great honour for her, and added that she had brought special message of the Prime Minister for OIC Secretary General Dr Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen.Thanking the OIC secretary General for supporting Kashmir cause she expressed the hope that this forum would raise its voice for forcefully highlighting the serious human rights violations in Indian occupied Kashmir . She urged OIC to pressurize India to stop human rights abuses in the valley and end the inhuman blockade of the state at the earliest. Stating the Babri mosque verdict has exposed real face of India and the treatment meted out to Muslims and other minorities has come to fore.
As founding member of OIC, she said Pakistan wants that Muslim countries should further increase mutual cooperation in the fields including economy and science and technology.
