A commemorative postage stamp on the Muslim Foreign Ministers Conference of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Karachi :

Issued by Pakistan

Issued on Dec 26, 1970

Issued for : On the occasion of Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers going to be held in the Metropolis of Karachi from 26^th to 28^th December, 1970, the Pakistan Post Office will issue on 26-12-1970, a commemorative postage stamp of 20 Paisa denomination.

Design : The format of the stamp is horizontal. The right side of the stamp shows Al-Aqsa Mosque in burning condition. Adjacent to the illustration is the crest of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers in blue colour. The caption “Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers, Karachi” in red colour lines below the crest and the illustration. The dates “26^th to 28^th December, 1970” are in blue. The words “Pakistan” in Bengali, Urdu and English on the left side are in black colour. The value “20 Paisa”, the word “Postage” above the illustration on the top right side and the words “Burning of Al-Aqsa Mosque (21.8.69)” are all in black colour.

Type : Stamp, Postal Used

Denomination : 20 Paisa

Colour : Red, Yellow, Blue and Black

Size of stamp : 57.3 x 34 mm

Size of print : 54.3 x 31 mm

Perforation gauge : 13 x 13 (c)

Quantity Printed : 15,00,000

Number of stamps in each sheet : 50

Process of printing : Litho Offset

Printers : The Pakistan Security Printing Corporation Ltd., Karachi

About : 

• Following the burning of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the 21^st August, 1969 and the consequent tremors in the Muslim World, the late President Nasser of the UAR and King Hussain of Jordan met in Cairo on the 24^th August, 1969 and discussed plans to hold a conference of Arab Nations to be followed by an Islamic Summit Conference to consider the grave issues confronting the Muslim World. A seven-member Preparatory Committee consisting of Iran, Malaysia, Morocco, Niger, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Somalia met in Rabat on 8^th and 9^th September, 1969. The agenda of the Summit included mainly the questions relating to sacrilege of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and restoration of the holy city of Jerusalem.
• According to the joint declaration issued at the conclusion of the Conference (September 25, 1969) in which 26 countries had participated, the signatories inter-alia resolved to make concerted efforts for the preservation of world peace in the light of the immortal teachings of Islam and pledged “to settle by peaceful means any dispute which may arise between them in such manner as to contribute to the strengthening of international peace and security in accordance with the alms and principles of the charter of the United Nations”. And finally, the declaration stated, their Governments would reject any solution of the problem of Palestine which would deny Jerusalem the status it had before June 1967.
• The Islamic Summit at Rabat also decided that a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the participating states shall be held at Jeddah in the month of March 1970, with a view to :–
  • i) Examining the results of the common action undertaken in the international field by the participating states regarding the decisions reached at the Rabat Conference.
  • ii) Examining the subjects of laying down the basis for a permanent Islamic Secretariat.
• The Muslim Foreign Ministers Conference was accordingly held in Jeddah from 23^rd to 25^th of March, 1970.
• The joint communique issued at the conclusion of the Jeddah Conference inter-alia decided to establish an Islamic Secretariat with Jeddah as its provisional Headquarters till the liberation of Palestine. It was also decided that the first Secretary General of the Secretariat would be a Malaysian for a period of two years. Tenku Abdur Rahman, the then Prime Minister of Malaysia, was nominated as the Secretary General of the Secretariat.
• The Secretariat is to serve as a liaison between participating states and will follow up the implementation of decisions taken at the summit level and will also make arrangements for the holding of future conferences.
• The decision for holding the forthcoming Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers in Pakistan was also taken by the Jeddah Conference in March, 1970. The Conference which is scheduled to be held in Karachi from 26^th to 28^th December, 1970 will consider the implementation of the decisions of the Jeddah Conference including the structure, organisation and functions of the proposed Islamic Secretariat.
• Issued by The Director-General, Pakistan Post Office, Karachi.

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