ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in The Gambia on Wed­nesday to represent Pakistan at the 15th Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit in Banjul on May 4 and 5.

On his X account, the deputy prime minister said that earlier he had participated with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh.

He was received by the Gambian Minister for Petroleum and Energy Nani Juwara, Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi and Ambassador of Pakistan to Senegal Saima Maymunah Sayed, a post on X said.

Ishaq Dar, in his post, further said that besides attending the summit, he would also hold bilateral meetings with dignitaries from the member countries.

The Foreign Office spokesperson said in a press release that the deputy prime minister would speak about Pakistan’s perspective on the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the right to self-determination of the people of held Kashmir, imperatives of solidarity and unity of the Ummah, rising Islamo­phobia, issues of climate change, terrorism and other contemporary global challenges.

He will underline the need for finding collective solutions to challenges confronting the Muslim Ummah, it was further added.

On the sidelines, the foreign minister will hold bilateral meetings with leaders and foreign ministers participating in the summit.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2024