Dr Tahir Ashraf

The rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran has a spill-over impact on ending the conflicts in Yemen and Syria particularly and the Shiite-Sunni conflict in the Muslim world in general.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has paid a three-day trip to Saudi Arabia from December 7-9 amid the growing hitches in the long-standing bilateral relationship between Saudi Arabia and the USA.

On the occasion of the historic summit of SCO member states in Astana, Kazakhstan on 8-9 June 2017, Pakistan and India were granted full membership while Iran was granted full membership on 17 September 2021.

Pakistan was disappointed over the military help provided to India after the 1962 Sino-India war as well as equal treatment by the US and Britain on the occasion of the Indo-Pak war of 1965.

Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) is a contentious issue between Pakistan and India that has been recognized by India as a contentious issue at the international forum including the United Nations.

While the two sides have not changed their policies on key issues, they seem ready to 'further strengthen' the existing strategic cooperation and the bilateral relationship - writes Dr. Tahir Ashraf, an IR expert.

As a founding member of the OIC, Pakistan has always been at the forefront of the OIC’s efforts for the Muslim cause whether the Palestine issue, Iran-Iraq war, Kuwait-Iraq war, the Afghanistan issue, and the challenges faced by the Muslim minorities anywhere in the world.

There are many forms of Islamophobia, faced by the Muslim communities across the world, which include exclusion of Muslims from jobs, limited access to housing and education on the basis of their faith, ban of hijab in educational institutions and workplaces.