Egyptian foreign minister arrives in Pakistan for OIC conference

Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, right, receives his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Hassan Shoukry at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad on March 20, 2022. (Photo courtesy: Pakistan foreign office)
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Updated 20 March 2022
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Egyptian foreign minister arrives in Pakistan for OIC conference

  • Pakistan will host the 48th session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Islamabad next week
  • The Egyptian foreign minister says he hopes the OIC meeting will ‘show degree of solidarity between members of the organization’

ISLAMABAD: Egypt’s foreign minister Sameh Shoukry arrived in Islamabad on Sunday to attend a two-day meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on March 22 and 23.

Pakistan annually hosts a military parade on March 23 to commemorate the Lahore Resolution which laid the foundation of a separate country for the Muslims of Subcontinent. This year, March 23 will also coincide with the 48th OIC Council of Foreign Ministers meeting. At least 46 OIC foreign ministers have confirmed their participation so far.

“This is an important meeting that we hope will achieve progress for the Islamic world and will again show the degree of solidarity that exists between members of the organization,” said Shoukry while speaking to journalists in Islamabad.

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s aide on interfaith harmony Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi said Pakistan and Egypt were “tied in brotherly relations.”

The CFM meeting is an annual event held to take important decisions and adopt new policies by OIC member states. It also reviews implementation or progress made on the decisions taken during the previous meetings.

The OIC foreign ministers last met in Islamabad in December 2021 for the 17th Extraordinary Session that focused on Afghanistan’s economic meltdown.


Islamic military coalition, Pakistan to deepen cooperation to combat ‘terrorism’ — Pakistani military

Updated 02 February 2026
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Islamic military coalition, Pakistan to deepen cooperation to combat ‘terrorism’ — Pakistani military

  • Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition is a 43-member alliance that includes Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, UAE and other nations
  • The Pakistani military statement comes after a meeting between IMCTC secretary-general and the chief of Pakistani defense forces in Rawalpindi

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC) have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening cooperation, including intelligence sharing and capacity building, to jointly combat “terrorism” and “extremism,” the Pakistani military said on Monday.

The IMCTC is a 43-member military alliance that was formed on Saudi Arabia’s initiative in Dec. 2015 to consolidate Muslim countries’ efforts in countering “terrorism.”

A 17-member IMCTC delegation is visiting Pakistan from Feb. 2-6 to conduct a training at National University of Sciences and Technology on “Re-integration and Rehabilitation of Extremist Elements,” according to the Pakistani military.

On Monday, IMCTC Secretary-General Maj. Gen. Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Moghedi held a meeting with Chief of Pakistani Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir to discuss cooperation among IMCTC member states.

“During the meeting, matters of mutual interest were discussed, with particular emphasis on regional security dynamics and enhanced cooperation in counter-terrorism efforts,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing, said in a statement.

“Both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to combating terrorism and extremism through collaborative strategies, intelligence sharing, and capacity building among member states.”

The IMCTC features Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Afghanistan, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Palestine, UAE, Bangladesh and other nations. In 2017, Pakistan’s former army chief Gen. (retd) Raheel Sharif was appointed as the IMCTC commander-in-chief.

During discussions with Major General Al-Moghedi, Field Marshal Munir appreciated the role of IMCTC in fostering stability and promoting coordinated counterterrorism initiatives across the Islamic world, according to the ISPR.

The IMCTC secretary-general acknowledged Pakistan’s significant contributions and sacrifices in the fight against militancy and lauded the professionalism of Pakistan’s armed forces.

“The meeting underscored the resolve of both sides to further strengthen institutional collaboration for peace, stability, and security in the region,” the ISPR added.

Pakistan enjoys cordial ties with most Muslim countries around the world, particularly Gulf Cooperation Council countries. In Sept. 2025, Pakistan signed a landmark defense pact with Saudi Arabia according to which an act of aggression against one country will be treated as an act of aggression against both.