Pak PM hosts OIC meet ahead of no-trust vote

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan trumpeted his Islamic credentials yesterday at a meeting of foreign ministers from Muslim nations, even as he battles the most serious domestic challenge to his rule since coming to power.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is meeting in Islamabad with an ambitious agenda that seeks approval for over 100 declarations, including aid for financially strapped Afghanistan and support for the Palestinians and Kashmir.

The meeting is also attended by China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, despite Beijing being accused of detaining more than a million Uyghur and other Turkic-speaking Muslims in political re-education camps across Xinjiang.

Khan is hosting the conference whilst scrambling to fight a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly as early as next week, with the opposition accusing him of mismanaging the economy and foreign policy.

The no-confidence motion is scheduled to be formally introduced on Friday with a vote next week, but horse-trading is common in Pakistan politics and the rebels could well return to the fold before then.

In an address, he partly blamed Muslims for allowing Islamaphobia to spread, saying they had not united against actions deemed blasphemous for fear of being labelled extremist.

Khan won office in 2018 defeating established political dynasties. But with inflation skyrocketing and a feeble rupee, he has struggled to maintain support.

Political analysts say he has also lost the backing of the powerful military.