LAHORE: The World Islamic Conference will begin here tomorrow afternoon [Feb 18] with a pre-Summit officials meeting in the Punjab Assembly chambers. An overwhelming majority of officials of the 30 countries participating … who have already arrived here, appear determined to forge unity in the Muslim world on the issue of Jerusalem and the Middle East situation and foil attempts, if any, to raise bilateral issues which may blur the main objective of the Summit.

The officials’ meeting will consider the procedural and organisational aspects of the Islamic Summit. … Meanwhile a number of participating countries, including Pakistan, have taken serious note of attempts being made by India to drag the question of Third World solidarity in the context of the Islamic Summit and cause hurdles in the way of the latter. A number of the officials … interviewed … here today implicitly resented accusations made in this regard. Prince Norodom Sihanouk’s letter to Prime Minister Bhutto felicitating him on the conference and Egypt’s participation … are taken as positive indications of the thinking in the non-aligned world in regard to the questions which are to be discussed at the summit. — Special representative

Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2024