Commonwealth parliamentary moot: ‘Kashmir a disputed territory, so no invite for its assembly’
Sartaj Aziz hits out at Indian press for sensationalism
Sartaj Aziz. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan will not invite the speaker of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly to the 61st Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) because Kashmir is a disputed territory, said Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz.
“Kashmir case is a disputed one, Pakistan has always maintained that the issue needs to be resolved in accordance with the UN resolutions,” he told news media on Saturday.
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) at the 60th CPC, held in October 2014 in Cameroon, had elected National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq as president of CPA and decided to hold the next CPC in Islamabad from September 30 to October 8, 2015.
However, there was an uproar in India over Pakistan not extending an invitation to the Indian Kashmir’s assembly, like the rest of the state and federal houses.
Replying to another question, Aziz said that Pakistan has an even handed approach on terrorism and extremism.
“We make no distinction between good and bad Taliban,” the adviser said adding, “We condemn terrorist attacks in Kargil and other parts of Pakistan.” Referring to a forum that he participated in India recently, Aziz said that it was unfair to have fingers pointed at the Pakistan government and that too at a public forum. Hitting out at sensationalism of reports in the Indian press, he said that like India, Pakistan was also affected by terrorism.
He said that while working with the Afghan government, the Pakistan government tried to restrict movements across the borders, so that no terrorist goes from here and carries out an attack over there. “Now, who is responsible for attacks in Kabul is a very hypothetical guess, let’s hope that the reconciliation talks will resume so that it will lead to some end of hostilities and level of violence in Afghanistan.”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 9th, 2015.
Pakistan will not invite the speaker of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly to the 61st Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) because Kashmir is a disputed territory, said Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz.
“Kashmir case is a disputed one, Pakistan has always maintained that the issue needs to be resolved in accordance with the UN resolutions,” he told news media on Saturday.
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) at the 60th CPC, held in October 2014 in Cameroon, had elected National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq as president of CPA and decided to hold the next CPC in Islamabad from September 30 to October 8, 2015.
However, there was an uproar in India over Pakistan not extending an invitation to the Indian Kashmir’s assembly, like the rest of the state and federal houses.
Replying to another question, Aziz said that Pakistan has an even handed approach on terrorism and extremism.
“We make no distinction between good and bad Taliban,” the adviser said adding, “We condemn terrorist attacks in Kargil and other parts of Pakistan.” Referring to a forum that he participated in India recently, Aziz said that it was unfair to have fingers pointed at the Pakistan government and that too at a public forum. Hitting out at sensationalism of reports in the Indian press, he said that like India, Pakistan was also affected by terrorism.
He said that while working with the Afghan government, the Pakistan government tried to restrict movements across the borders, so that no terrorist goes from here and carries out an attack over there. “Now, who is responsible for attacks in Kabul is a very hypothetical guess, let’s hope that the reconciliation talks will resume so that it will lead to some end of hostilities and level of violence in Afghanistan.”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 9th, 2015.