By Adama Makasuba
Pakistani Ambassador to Dakar—Senegal who oversees Gambia and some West Africa countries has promised the commitment of his government to supporting Gambia to host the Islamic Organization Conference in 2021.
Speaking to The Voice on Friday 14th of June at Sand Beach Hotel in Kotu, M. Imran Mirza said “we have wished that the OIC Summit became successful –if they seek our support we would be there and this is a new government that needs institutional building that is why it was decided for the mean time it will be shifted to Saudi Arabia and the government of the Gambia would be more prepared by next time and we would support them for sure.
Meanwhile, Ambassador M. Imran Mirza, is currently in the Gambia for a visit as part of his official duty mandated upon him on each sixth month to pay a visit to the country where he meets with government officials and the Pakistani community in the country.
For the moment, The Gambia been failed to host the OIC conference this year has sparked bitter public debate. The Gambians who gives the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia the chance to host its conference with Critics slammed the President Barrow’s government of being negligent by saying that his regime has squandered the opportunity to Saudi Arabia.
After the announcement of The Gambia not hosting the OIC conference this year by the government, President Barrow left for Saudi Arabia for a summit and announced upon his arrival that the Gambia will host the OIC in 2021.
However, the Gambia won the bid to host the renowned Islamic Organization Conference under the former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh whom later declared Gambia as an Islamic State.
Moreover, this Ex-president Jammeh’s new declaration of Gambia being an Islamic State in 2015 was totally rejected by many Gambians who stated that ‘The Gambia is a Secular State that shouldn’t labelled under any religion.’