The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) today clarified the Kuala Lumpur Summit (KL Summit) 2019 is not intended to create a new bloc to replace the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as was misreported by the publication Pakistan Today.

It also said the summit was not a platform to discuss religion or religious affairs but specifically to address the state of affairs of the Muslim ummah.

“As a small nation, Malaysia is fully aware of its limitations and capabilities. We are merely attempting to contribute what little we can for the betterment of the ummah (Muslims),” the PMO said in a statement today.

The PMO confirmed that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had received a call from Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan who expressed his regrets for not being able to attend the summit, which starts tomorrow till Saturday.

"Dr Mahathir appreciates Imran Khan’s call to inform of his inability to attend the summit where the Pakistani leader was expected to speak and share his thoughts on the state of affairs of the Islamic world," said the statement.

The KL Summit, which is into its fifth edition, is an NGO initiative supported by the Malaysian government.

"Today the ummah is faced with oppression, the incarceration of millions who are placed in detention camps, civil wars resulting in the total destruction of cities and nations leading to the mass migration of displaced Muslims to non-Muslim countries," the statement said. 

"Also, the rise of Islamophobia and irrational practices that go against the tenets of Islam yet proclaimed in the name of Islam. It is these concerns that had led to the establishment of the summit.

"This year’s edition attempts to go beyond intellectual debates and discussions and instead pursue specific measures, pillars or objectives which are deemed achievable and implementable."

The PMO said only specific nations and national leaders were chosen to spark a new approach in ummah collaboration. If successful, then it would be presented to the larger Islamic grouping and bigger Muslim nations to evaluate whether these initiatives should be pursued on a larger scale.

"Malaysia wishes to reiterate that all 56 countries of the Islamic world were invited and all 56 are represented at various levels," it added.