Hadi: Dr M personally invited me to attend KL Summit

By RAHIMY RAHIM and CLARISSA CHUNG

KUALA LUMPUR: PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang says he was personally invited to attend the Kuala Lumpur Summit by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“Yes, he invited me personally, ” he told a press conference after the launch of the KL Summit on Thursday (Dec 19).

He said he supported the summit hosted by the Malaysian government and congratulated the organisers on a job well done.

“This is a proactive effort to promote partnership among Muslim countries and to address the weaknesses in Islamic cooperative bodies that have failed to tackle issues (faced by Muslims).

“I have gone on campaigns, through the NGOs under us, to make this summit a success, ” he said.

Hadi said the summit was held in Malaysia because the region was free of conflict, such as those in the Middle East.

He added that the attendance of some Islamic leaders such as Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Hamad Al-Thani was a good first step for the advancement of Muslim countries.

Hadi said the forums lined up are interesting as they did not solely revolve around political issues, but also others faced by the Muslim community.

With the theme “The Role of Development in Achieving National Sovereignty”, the KL Summit will be discussing issues such as Islamophobia, the incarceration of Muslims around the globe, and the mass migration of Muslims due to civil wars.

The conference, held from Dec 18-21, is expected to host 450 delegates comprising intellectuals, politicians and leaders from 56 countries of the Islamic world.

Discussions at the meeting will be framed by seven main thrusts, namely national development and sovereignty; integrity and good governance; culture and identity; justice and freedom; peace, security and defence; trade and investment; as well as technology and Internet governance.