Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, who reached Saudi Arabia to attend the 14th Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit in Makkah last week, reportedly left his foreign minister (FM), Shah Mahmood Qureshi, behind.
According to journalist Azaz Syed, FM Qureshi was left behind after “he was barred from boarding PM Imran’s special flight due to lack of space”.
“The FM had to make alternate arrangements,” the journalist claimed in a tweet which has not yet received an official reaction.
While sources have also confirmed the episode to The Current, they clarified that the FM wasn’t offloaded, but told beforehand to arrange his own trip since there wasn’t enough space in the premier’s aircraft.
Earlier, a meeting of the OIC countries’ foreign ministers preceded the heads of states session to finalise the draft for ‘Makkah Memo’ that was presented and approved at the conference.
FM Qureshi represented Pakistan at the meeting after managing to reach the Kingdom on time.
The summit convenes every three years to make decisions about how to confront and contain conflicts and crises in Muslim-majority countries. This year, the conference focused on challenges faced by the Muslim community as it enters a new era with the aim to reach a unified stance.
‘WIDENING RIFT IN PTI’:
The journalist’s claim regarding the FM being left behind comes two days after Federal Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry hinted at a “cold war going on within the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)”.
In an interview to a private media outlet, Fawad had mentioned interference of non-elected people in the affairs of the government. “At times, some important decisions are taken and we don’t even know. I still believe that we have some political weaknesses in decision-making,” he had said.
FM Qureshi had earlier made headlines after an exchange of heated arguments with PM Imran’s close aide and former PTI secretary general, disqualified Jahangir Khan Tareen.
