Addressing the fourth extraordinary summit of the Organisation of Islamic Conference here, he said Muslim countries needed to fight collectively against suicide bombings and the mindset that promoted them.

Calling for an immediate end to bloodshed in Syria, President Zardari said Pakistan was deeply concerned about the situation in Syria. “Pakistan desires that Syria must forge its own destiny in accordance with the aspirations of its people. We must respect Syria’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity,” he added. He said the international community must respect the principles of non-interference and non-intervention and appealed to all sides in Syria to declare a ceasefire during Eidul Fitr.

President Zardari said the large-scale killing of Muslims in Myanmar was a matter of deep concern for Pakistan, calling upon the OIC to use its good offices for promoting a process of protecting the life and property of Muslims in Myanmar.

President Zardari urged the Muslim heads of states and governments to join Pakistan’s efforts for reconciliation and peace process in Afghanistan. He said peace in Afghanistan was vital for the stability of Pakistan. “Indeed it is vital for peace and stability of the region and the world,” he added.

President Zardari said there were more than three million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, adding he hoped that the refugees would return to their homeland soon to rebuild their country.

He said Muslim communities in different parts of the world continued to suffer denial of their human rights. Reiterating Pakistan’s commitment to a just and peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute, he said he hoped that Pakistan’s engagement with India would be result-oriented and purposeful. He said the unresolved Palestinian issue was a deep wound in the heart of the Middle East, adding that Pakistan fully supported the creation of an independent and viable Palestinian state.

He said fast-moving and far-reaching developments were taking place in North Africa and Middle East. “Over the past two years we have witnessed youth aspiring for a change and democratic transformation. Egypt and Tunisia have completed peaceful transformations in their countries and we wish them success,” he added.

President Zardari said unity and solidarity of the Muslim Ummah was critical to development and progress, and the Muslim world must use its collective strength to defend just Islamic causes. “We should work collectively to promote global peace and prosperity. This can be done by expanding cooperation among OIC countries,” he added.

The president said Pakistan had lost over 40,000 lives, including over 6500 personnel of security forces, in the fight against terrorism with material losses worth $80 billion. He said he was grateful to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for holding this Summit in the holy month of Ramadan and in the holy city of Makkah. He said Pakistan deeply valued its relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The president appreciated the initiative to establish a centre for dialogue among various doctrines of Islam, saying it would go a long way in achieving the objectives of this conference by creating harmony and solidarity in the Muslim Ummah.