Pakistan, Russia agree to exclude India from anti-terror forum

Imran Khan discusses Kashmir, bilateral relations with Sergei Lavrov

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Russia have agreed not to include India in the Parliamentary Forum on Countering Terrorism and Strengthening Connectivity in the wake of the worsening situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK).

This decision was taken during a meeting of National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser with Russian State Duma Speaker Volodin Viacheslav Victrovich on the sidelines of the 4th meeting of the Speakers of Eurasian Countries Parliaments being held in Nur Sultan, Kazakhstan.

This decision was taken in the wake of the worsening situation in Occupied Kashmir (IOK) and India’s non-responsive attitude towards the international community’s call for addressing that situation, said a press release received here.

Qaiser briefed his Russian counterpart on the unprecedented clampdown in IOK, which has caused scarcity of food and medical items. Viacheslav expressed concern over the prevailing situation in Kashmir, saying that further aggravation of this situation would be a human catastrophe.

Later, Qaiser met Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Mustafa Sentop and Speaker of the Majlis Ash-Shura of Saudi Arabia. During the meetings, Qaiser expressed concern over the massive human rights violation in occupied Kashmir.

Sentop assured Turkey’s all support to the just struggle of Kashmir people for their right to self-determination. He expressed serious concern over the human rights violations in IOK and called for immediate redressal of the situation.

The Turkish speaker said that his government and parliament was ready to extend all kinds of support to Pakistan to lower the tensions between India and Pakistan. Qaiser urged that the Turkish parliament might also pass a resolution in support of the Kashmiri people to raise their morale.

The Turkish speaker assured that his country would highlight Kashmir important issue in its parliament as well as other regional and international forums. The two sides also agreed to establish a joint parliamentary commission to devise collective strategies for mutual benefit.

Asad Qaiser, in his meeting with Saudi speaker Dr Abdullah bin Mohammad Al-Sheikh, raised the issue of IOK and said that Indian atrocities in the occupied territory had made the life of millions of Kashmiris miserable.

The Saudi Speaker expressed concern over the gross human rights violations in IOK and said that Pakistan might immediately organise a conference on Kashmir at government or parliamentary levels so that collective roadmap could be devised for tackling the Indian aggression.

Qaiser termed Saudi Arabia as a second home to the millions of Pakistanis. He added that the recent visit of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman provided further impetus to the bilateral state of affairs between the two countries.

The Saudi speaker also invited Asad Qaiser to lead a parliamentary delegation to Saudi Arabia to further enhance the existing brotherly ties between the two countries. He said that a memorandum of understanding between the two parliaments also needed to be agreed and singed so that issues like Kashmir could be addressed mutually.