ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan would visit Malaysia next month to attend the first Kuala Lumpur Summit that would discuss Ummah’s problems.

The invitation for the Summit was delivered to PM Khan by Malaysian prime minister’s special envoy, Deputy Foreign Minister Marzuki Bin Haji Yahya on Friday.

The summit being held in the Malaysian capital from Dec 18 to 20 is being attended by Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan and Qatar in addition to host Malaysia. The event’s theme is ‘The Role of Development in Achieving National Sovereignty’. The Summit is aimed at understanding the problems afflicting the global Muslim community and suggesting the way towards addressing them.

“The Prime Minister conveyed his thanks for the invitation and stated that he looked forward to participating in the KL Summit,” the PM Office said in a statement.

The summit would discuss issues related to peace, security, and defence; trade and investment; technology and internet governance; development and sovereignty; integrity; good governance; culture and identity; and justice and freedom.

Speaking to the special envoy, Mr Khan appreciated Malaysia’s principled position on the Kashmir dispute and apprised him of the dire human rights and humanitarian situation in the Valley. The PM called upon the international community to play its role in the lifting of curfew and other restrictions in Occupied Kashmir and peaceful resolution of the dispute.

Meanwhile, FO welcomed the holding of first-ever ‘Open Discu­ssion’ on the worsening human rights situation in India-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission, as part of its 16th regular session held in Jeddah from Nov 25 to 28. The discussion was attended by all members of the Commission and a large number of representatives of OIC member and observer states.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2019