Saudi plans OIC foreign ministers' meeting on Kashmir
Islamabad: Saudi Arabia plans to convene a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on Kashmir, in an apparent move by Riyadh to please Pakistan which skipped a recent summit of Muslim nations in Malaysia seen by Riyadh as an attempt to create a new bloc to replace the dysfunctional OIC led by it.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan conveyed this to his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi during a meeting with him at the Foreign Office on Thursday, Dawn reported, quoting a diplomatic source.
He was on a day-long visit to Islamabad to convey the Saudi leadership's gratitude to Pakistan for not participating in the recently held Kuala Lumpur summit of Muslim nations in view of the Gulf Kingdom's reservations, the paper reported.
Qureshi briefed Prince Faisal on the situation in Kashmir in the aftermath of India's move to abrogate article 370 on August 5. "The two Foreign Ministers discussed OIC's role in the advancement of the cause of Kashmir," the Foreign Office said in a statement.
He also "highlighted the Indian Government's actions with regard to CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act 2019) and NRC (National Register of Citizens) and the systematic targeting of minorities in India, particularly Muslims," it said.
The OIC is a 57-member grouping of Muslim majority nations, including Pakistan. The body has usually been supportive of Pakistan and often sided with Islamabad on the Kashmir issue.
In a brief statement, the OIC last week said it was "closely following recent developments affecting Muslim minority in India."
Prince Faisal also called on Prime Minister Khan. The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Qureshi, Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood, spy agency ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed and other senior officials.
Khan told the Saudi minister that alleged ceasefire violations by India along the Line of Control were "stoking tensions and imperiling regional peace and security".
The Kuala Lumpur summit had found strong support in Pakistan because of Saudi's growing trade ties with India and the OIC's failure to take strong stance on Muslim issues.
The day-long visit of the Saudi minister came after criticism of the alleged pressure applied by the Gulf Kingdom on Pakistan to skip the Kuala Lumpur summit.
The Summit from December 19-21 was seen by Saudis as an attempt to create a new bloc in the Muslim world that could become an alternative to the dysfunctional OIC led by the Gulf Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have extended financial support to the government of Prime Minister Khan to deal with the balance of payment crisis last year.
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Cold grips Delhi, minimum temperature settles around 3 degrees
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi woke up to intense cold conditions on Monday as the minimum temperature dipped to around 3 degrees Celsius at several weather stations across the city, making it the coldest January day since 2023.
On January 16, 2023, the minimum temperature had plunged to 1.4 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
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Station-wise data recorded at 8.30 am showed the Safdarjung Observatory, Delhi's principal weather station, registered a minimum temperature of 3.2 degrees Celsius, which was 4.2 notches below normal.
Palam recorded a minimum temperature of 3.3 degrees Celsius, while Lodhi Road logged 3 degrees Celsius.
Ridge recorded a minimum of 4.2 degrees Celsius and Ayanagar reported 3.2 degrees Celsius, the IMD data showed.
The IMD said the maximum temperature in the national capital is expected to touch 19 degrees Celsius.
It said cold wave conditions are likely to persist over the national capital over the next two days.
Delhi's air quality, meanwhile, remained poor.
According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the city's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 298 in the 'poor' category.
Around 20 monitoring stations recorded 'very poor' air quality, while the remaining stations were in the 'poor' category. Nehru Nagar recorded the worst air quality with an AQI of 344.
According to the CPCB classification, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'.
