Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to attend a two-day special meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Global Collaboration, Growth, and Energy for Development in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia starting from Sunday.

As per Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the Prime Minister, along with Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, will be traveling to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman and WEF Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab.

This high-level participation will allow Pakistan to showcase its priorities in regional collaboration and finding a balance between growth and energy consumption.

In addition to this, the Prime Minister will also be visiting Gambia to attend the 15th session of the Islamic Summit Conference with the theme of Enhancing Unity and Solidarity through Dialogue for Sustainable Development on May 4-5, 2024, in Banjul, the capital city of Gambia.

During these visits, the Prime Minister will address Pakistan’s concerns regarding the situation in Gaza, advocate for the right to self-determination, emphasize the importance of solidarity, and discuss issues like Islamophobia, terrorism, and challenges faced by the Muslim world.

The spokesperson highlighted that there has been an increase in provocative statements from Indian leaders regarding Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, which Pakistan strongly rejects. Such claims, driven by hyper-nationalism and aggressive rhetoric, pose a threat to regional peace and stability.

She called on Indian politicians to refrain from dragging Pakistan into their internal political discourse for electoral gains.

Despite Indian assertions, it is important to remember that IIOJK remains an internationally recognized disputed territory, as outlined in the UN Security Council resolutions, which state that the final status of the region should be determined by the will of the Kashmiri people through a free plebiscite.