Pakistan skipped Malaysia summit to 'address concerns of major Muslim countries'

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has clarified its position regarding a conference of several Islamic nations, saying it skipped the four-day summit in Kuala Lumpur to address concerns from some Muslim countries of a possible division in the Ummah.

"In response to questions from the media, the Spokesperson stated that Pakistan did not participate in the KL Summit as time and efforts were needed to address the concerns of major Muslim countries regarding possible division in Ummah," the Pakistani Foreign Office said in a statement on Friday.

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"Pakistan will continue to work for the unity and solidarity of the Ummah, which is indispensable for effectively addressing the challenges faced by the Muslim world."

Saudi Arabia said its leaders were not attending the summit because it was being held outside the aegis of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation based in Jeddah.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who along with his Malaysian counterpart and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan had been a prime mover behind the summit, made a last-minute decision to withdraw from the meeting.