RIYADH: The Kuala Lumpur Summit (KL Summit) is not planned to be a parallel platform or against the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi denied such a speculation while describing it as just an attempt to ensure the summit in the Malaysian capital ends in failure.
“The elements desiring to create discord among the Muslim world are creating such perceptions,” he said when interviewed in Riyadh during an official visit by Prime Minister Imran Khan to Saudi Arabia, said The Tribune in Islamabad.
The media in the Middle East reported that Saudi Arabia is upset when some quarters see the KL Summit as an attempt to create a new bloc in the Muslim world that could become an alternative to the OIC, which Riyadh among the most important member.
Pakistan Today quoted sources who claimed that Saudi Arabia and its allies, including United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, and Bahrain, are perturbed over the expected presence of Qatari emir, Turkish president and Iranian president at the KL Summit.
"It merits mention here that the Turkish president and Qatari emir have sided with the Iranian president and are considered rivals to the Saudi leadership," said the portal.
Qureshi, however, explained that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed has already privately organised four (similar) sessions about the priorities for Muslim nations even before assuming office as Malaysian Prime Minister.
“He is now trying to give it a formal shape,” Qureshi said, adding that Dr Mahathir had sent his foreign minister to Riyadh to extend a formal invitation for the summit, acknowledging Saudi Arabia as an important member of the Muslim world.
Qureshi said Pakistan fully supported Dr Mahathir's initiative to bring five Muslim nations together to achieve socioeconomic development, which includes Turkey, Qatar, Pakistan, Indonesia and host country, Malaysia.
In a statement, he stressed that “we are not here to challenge any existing organisation or directing our cooperation against any third party”.
Despite Qureshi's denial, Pakistan is feeling the heat as reports emerged that Khan might skip the KL Summit after visiting Riyadh, though other reports said that he is yet to make a decision.