New Delhi: Pakistan has been elevated to deputy chairman of the general body of Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC).

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is an influential grouping of 57 countries, majority of which are Muslim-dominated.

As per a report in Dawn News, Pakistan has been elected as deputy chairman of the PUIC’s general body on the first day of its four-day conference being held in Rabat Morocco, an official announcement said.

The PUIC is composed of parliaments of member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. It was established in Iran on June 17, 1999, with its head office situated in Tehran.

The PUIC conference also adopted two resolutions presented by Pakistan related to Kashmir, reports said.

Pakistan’s election as deputy chairman comes days after it refused to participate in the inaugural plenary of OIC Foreign Ministers meet, irked by India’s participation as the Guest of Honour.

In a historic development, India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj attended the inaugural plenary of the 46th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of OIC in Abu Dhabi on March 1, which Pakistan decided to boycott.

Swaraj was the first Indian minister to address the OIC meeting, where she raised the issue of terrorism, amidst Indo-Pak tensions following the Pulwama terror attack.

“Terrorism is destroying lives, destabilizing regions and putting the world at great peril. Terror reach is growing and the toll it is taking is increasing,” Sushma said.
The minister said the fight against terrorism is  not a confrontation against any religion. “Just as Islam literally means peace, none of the 99 names of Allah mean violence. Similarly, every religion in the world stands for peace, compassion and brotherhood.”

India's participation came despite strong demand by Pakistan to rescind the invitation to Swaraj to address the grouping which was turned down by the host UAE, resulting in Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi boycotting the plenary.