Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Sunday apprised the media that in the wake of the recent terror attack on the two mosques in New Zealand, a meeting of foreign ministers of the members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) shall be held in Istanbul on March 22.
“The idea behind it is to unite and identify a strategy to curb Islamophobia,” he stated adding that the decision was made after Qureshi spoke with his Turkish counterpart.
On March 15, at least 50 people were killed and dozens wounded in the deadly attack which New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said was “one of the darkest days in New Zealand”.
He said that that there have been sporadic incidents condemning hate speech including a child egging a senator in Australia and a similar incident in London. “However, if the entire OIC and Muslim Ummah speak in one voice, it will carry a lot of weight,” he added.
Briefing the media on the development on the attack, the foreign minister said that he spoke with his New Zealand counterpart at length who said the assailant attacked two mosques and the whole act continued for 36 minutes. He said the identification of bodies was a complicated and difficult process but all of them have been identified and from tomorrow the process of handing these over to relatives will start. The New Zealand foreign minister further told that investigation is being held on the motives of terrorist.
Qureshi further informed that families of six Pakistanis have decided to bury their loved ones in Christchurch and three of them have decided to bring the bodies back to Pakistan.
He said that, in the telephonic conversation, New Zealand’s foreign minister has assured Islamabad of its assistance and to speed up the paperwork so that the bodies could be brought back to Pakistan.
“I have requested the foreign minister to hasten the process so that they can be laid to rest,” he added.
He informed that the Pakistan High Commission in New Zealand was in touch with the families of the victims.
Qureshi said that to mark the incident and mourn the deaths of Pakistanis who were martyred, among others, in the terrorist attack, Pakistani flag will remain half-mast at all national buildings on Monday.
He also reiterated Prime Minister Imran Khan’s decision of honouring Naeem Rashid, the victim who died trying to disarm a gunman stating that an award will be conferred upon him on March 23.
