Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi (L) meets his Palestinian counterpart, Dr Riyad al-Maliki, on the sidelines of the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Islamabad on Wednesday.
— Photo courtesy Shah Mahmood Qureshi Twitter Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday held a meeting with Palestinian counterpart Dr Riyad al-Maliki and reaffirmed Pakistan’s “unequivocal support” for the rights of Palestinians in their just struggle, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO).
The foreign ministers met on the sidelines of the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which Pakistan is hosting in Islamabad. The two-day summit will end today.
According to the FO, Qureshi underscored during his meeting with Maliki that Islamabad’s principled position on Palestine reflected the sentiments of the people of Pakistan.
“Maliki expressed gratitude for Pakistan’s unwavering support and principled stance on Palestine, including at the UN (United Nations) and OIC,” the FO said, adding that the two foreign ministers also reviewed bilateral ties and exchanged views on regional and international issues.
Tweeting about the meeting later, Qureshi said Pakistan was pleased to continue to offer Palestinian students seats in its educational institutions and military courses. “We will also offer positions in junior and advanced diplomatic courses in Pakistan to Palestinian diplomats,” he added.
Qureshi’s assurance on Pakistan’s stance on the Palestine issue comes a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan lamented while delivering his keynote address at the OIC summit that “we have failed both the Palestinians and the people of Kashmir”.
