Deputy PM Dar arrives in The Gambia to represent Pakistan at OIC summit

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.

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

Besides attending the OIC summit, the newly appointed deputy prime minister will also hold bilateral meetings with dignitaries from the member countries, he said in a post on X.

He recalled that earlier, he had participated with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh.

At the summit, Dar will speak about Pakistan’s perspective on the ongoing crisis in Gaza, the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination, the imperatives of solidarity and unity of the ummah, rising Islamophobia, climate change, terrorism and other contemporary global challenges, the FO said in a press release.

“He will underline the need to find collective solutions to challenges confronting the Muslim ummah,” the statement said, adding that the deputy PM will hold bilateral meetings with leaders and foreign ministers participating in the summit on the event’s sidelines.