PM telephones Malaysian counterpart, explains decision for not attending Kuala Lumpur Summit

Dr Mahathir appreciates Imran Khan’s call to inform of his inability to attend the summit.

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday telephoned Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Muhammad and expressed his regrets for not being able to attend the summit, which starts tomorrow till Saturday.

Dr Mahathir appreciates Imran Khan’s call to inform of his inability to attend the summit where the Pakistani leader was expected to speak and share his thoughts on the state of affairs of the Islamic world.

The Malaysian Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) today clarified the Kuala Lumpur Summit (KL Summit) 2019 is not intended to create a new bloc to replace the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

It also said the summit was not a platform to discuss religion or religious affairs but specifically to address the state of affairs of the Muslim ummah.

“As a small nation, Malaysia is fully aware of its limitations and capabilities. We are merely attempting to contribute what little we can for the betterment of the ummah (Muslims),” the statement said.

FM Qureshi calls off Malaysian visit

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will also not attend the Kuala Lumpur Summit 2019 as he has cancelled his visit to Malaysia following Prime Minister Imran Khan’s similar decision.

According to diplomatic sources, Qureshi was expected to represent Pakistan at the summit after PM Imran informed his Malaysian counterpart about his unavailability.

Kuala Lumpur Summit

The KL Summit which is into its 5th edition is a Non-Governmental Organisation initiative, supported by the Malaysian Government and is not intended to create a new bloc as alluded to by some of its critics. In addition, the Summit is not a platform to discuss about religion or religious affairs but specifically to address the state of affairs of the Muslim Ummah.

Today the Ummah is faced with oppression, the incarceration of millions, are placed in detention camps, civil wars resulting in total destruction of cities and nations leading to mass migration of displaced Muslims to non-Muslim countries, the rise of Islamophobia and irrational practices that go against the tenets of Islam yet proclaimed in the name of Islam.

It is these concerns that had led to the establishment of the Summit and this year’s edition attempts to go beyond intellectual debates and discussions and instead pursue specific measures, pillars or objectives which are deemed achievable and implementable.

The Summit is also very much aware that to pursue these pillars and objectives with too big a grouping will make it unwieldy and may fail even before it starts.

The selection of key nations is for the specific objectives, but the list is not exhaustive once these initiatives have taken off.

The Summit attempts to spark a new approach in ummah collaboration and if it is able to achieve something then it would be able to be presented to the larger Islamic grouping and bigger Muslim nations to evaluate whether these initiatives should be pursued on a larger scale.

For this Summit only a few national leaders are asked to participate but Malaysia wishes to reiterate that all 56 countries of the Islamic world were invited and all 56 are represented at various levels.

As a small nation, Malaysia is fully aware of its limitations and capabilities. We are merely attempting to contribute what little we can to the betterment of the ummah. We pray that our initiative will receive the blessings of Allah s.w.t. 

PM Imran meets Turkish President

On the other hand, the prime minister also held a meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Geneva.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of First Global Refugee Forum.

During the meeting, matters pertaining to bilateral interests came under discussion.