OIC Conference: ‘Local holiday’ in Islamabad over the weekend: Shaikh Rasheed

ISLAMABAD:-To ensure security at the upcoming Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers Conference, the federal government has announced a public holiday in Islamabad on December 18 (Saturday) and December 19 (Sunday).

In a media briefing on Friday, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed said that the request for a public holiday on Monday has been sent to the federal cabinet. “An announcement will be made as soon as an approval comes.”

Mobile phone services in the capital city on all three days will, however, won’t be suspended, except for some neighbourhoods.

Rasheed said that the decision has been taken to ensure security for the “high-profile” conference. “To prevent any mishap, we have taken help from the Pakistan Army and other security agencies.”

Pakistan is hosting the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers conference in Islamabad. The three-day event begins on Friday and the Council of Foreign Ministers will convene on December 19 chaired by Saudi Arabia.

The minister, on Friday, said that Prime Minister Imran Khan will address the “historic” conference. “The ongoing situation in Afghanistan is raising several humanitarian issues and we’re hopeful the OIC will play a constructive role in countering them.”

He added that several areas in Islamabad have been cordoned off for security purposes and appealed to the citizens to cooperate. “We apologise for the inconvenience.”

Offices of the National Assembly and Senate Secretariat have also been closed for the conference from December 13 to 20 and employees have been sent on leave for this period.

There will be no meeting of the Public Accounts Committee or Standing Committees at Parliament House till December 20.