Pakistani PM urges Islamic nations, China to mediate in Ukraine war
Imran Khan addresses the OIC before the start of 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers in Islamabad on Tuesday. AFP
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday urged foreign ministers from Muslim-majority nations to help end Russia's war in Ukraine, appealing also to China's top diplomat to join the effort.
Imran spoke at the start of a two-day gathering in Islamabad of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which for the first time saw the attendance of China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, as a special guest.
The war in Ukraine "could have great consequences for the world,” Imran warned and added that the rest of the planet is "already suffering," with surging prices of oil, gas and wheat from a region known as the breadbasket of the world. He urged the ministers to "mediate, try to bring about a ceasefire and an end to the conflict."
In his speech at the conference, the Chinese foreign minister said China supports Russia and Ukraine continuing peace talks for the sake of a ceasefire, an end to the war and peace.
"We need to prevent humanitarian disasters and prevent the spillover of the Ukrainian crisis from affecting or harming the legitimate rights and interests of other regions and countries," he said.
Wang said after the outbreak of coronavirus, Beijing provided 1.3 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines and a large amount of supplies to fight the virus to 50 Islamic countries. Later, Wang met Imran, according to a government statement.
It said the "two sides discussed the situation in Ukraine and reiterated the imperative need for an immediate cessation of hostilities and continued efforts for a solution through sustained dialogue and diplomacy."
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi met separately with his Chinese counterpart, the ministry said. The two "discussed the situation in Ukraine and reiterated the need for a solution through sustained dialogue and diplomacy," the ministry said.
Imran also reiterated his plea for the international community to help neighbouring Afghanistan, which has been struggling with an economic meltdown and severe shortages of food and medicines since the Taliban takeover in mid-August.
"A stable Afghanistan is the only way that we are going to tackle international terrorism from Afghan soil," said Imran. "It is extremely important that we help the people of Afghanistan."
Imran denied the existence of a radical version of Islam, saying there was only one kind of Islam that was preached by Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
Addressing the 48th session of the OIC, he said the narrative of ‘Islamic terrorism’ went on unchecked after the 9/11 attacks.
"We, the Muslim countries, did not do anything to stop this narrative,” he said, adding that the heads of Muslim states should have taken a stand on this issue but they "instead a lot of them kept saying things like we are moderate.”
"This meant that they were acknowledging that there was a radical version of Islam. There is only one Islam that is of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH),” he said, adding that there were fanatics in every human community but only Islam was singled out by the use of such terms.
The prime minister began his speech by congratulating the Muslim world for the recent adoption of a resolution against Islamophobia by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), that proclaims March 15 as International Day to Combat Islamophobia.
He said the world was now realising that Islamophobia was a reality and more needed to be done to combat it.
"Why was Islam equated with terrorism?" Imran questioned, and referred to the Christchurch attack on a mosque as a consequence of this stereotyping. "Once that happens, how is the man in the street in Western countries, how is he supposed to differentiate between a moderate Muslim and a radical Muslim? Hence, this man walks into a mosque and shoots everyone he could."
