Jeddah: Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, has acknowledged Pakistan's ongoing support for the Palestinian cause, highlighting its significant contributions to the matter. This acknowledgment came during a conversation with Professor Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, the Coordinator-General of OIC-COMSTECH Pakistan, who visited the OIC General Secretariat in Jeddah.
According to Radio Pakistan, the meeting focused on enhancing cooperation in scientific, technological, academic, and healthcare fields among OIC member states. The Secretary-General expressed confidence in the leadership of Dr. Choudhary, appreciating his diplomatic and international experience, and anticipated that it would enhance the effectiveness of the OIC General Secretariat in serving the Muslim Ummah.
During the meeting, Dr. Choudhary briefed the Secretary-General on COMSTECH's ongoing and planned initiatives in science, technology, higher education, healthcare, capacity building, and AI. The Secretary-General particularly commended COMSTECH's initiative to allocate five thousand fellowships and scholarships for Palestinian students and scholars, emphasizing the importance of such support.
The Secretary-General also expressed his intention to meet with Palestinian scholars, medical students, and biomedical researchers during his upcoming visit to Pakistan. He praised COMSTECH's continued commitment to supporting the Palestinian scientific and academic community, and showed particular interest in COMSTECH's initiatives in Artificial Intelligence, urging the organization to lead an OIC-wide AI initiative.
He stressed the importance of the Muslim world not just being users of AI, but also becoming developers, innovators, and contributors to emerging AI technologies. The Secretary-General highlighted the strategic importance of science, technology, and innovation for the development of the Muslim world and mentioned plans to discuss enhanced support for these areas with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Co-Chairman of COMSTECH during his visit to Pakistan.