ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday told a joint parliament session that he would not attend the foreign ministers’ meet at the 46th session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) after a resolution was passed in this regard to protest over participation of the Indian minister for external affairs in the event as a guest of honour.

Mr Qureshi, however, said some officials of the Foreign Office would participate in the two-day event being held in Abu Dhabi to oppose any attempt at the OIC to give the observer’s status to India.

The resolution noted with deep disapprobation that India — an aggressor against Pakistan as well as the Kashmiri people — was invited as a guest of honour to the OIC meeting even after its recent attack on the founding OIC member. It demanded, “Pakistan abstain [from attending the conference] as [an] occupier has been invited as guest of honour and demands that Pakistan abstain completely from the said meeting under protest.”

However, the joint parliament session welcomed strong condemnation by the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir over the recent wave of oppression and atrocities by Indian forces in occupied Kashmir and over violation of the Line of Control (LoC) by the Indian military aircraft.

Resolution passed by parliament rejects New Delhi’s attempt to label legitimate Kashmiri struggle for self-determination as terrorism

It said facts on the ground and independent observers clearly contradicted India’s false claims. The resolution noted that timely and effective action of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) repulsed the Indian attack without loss of life and property. It said India’s baseless allegations against Pakistan in the wake of the Pulwama attack were politically motivated and that the Indian government’s subsequent action had been guided by its electoral calculations.

The resolution hailed the statements of the heads of all political parties as well as the prime minister who offered on Feb 19 Pakistan’s assistance to India in investigation of the Pulwama attack and to take action on actionable intelligence or evidence.

It emphasised India’s irresponsible and reckless actions of Feb 26 and 27 seriously imperilled peace and stability in South Asia.

The resolution recalled that the National Security Committee meeting authorising the armed forces of Pakistan to respond to any act of aggression decisively and comprehensively. It further recalled the statement issued after the NSC’s special session on Feb 26 that made it clear India had committed uncalled for aggression to which Pakistan would respond at the time and place of its choosing.

The resolution affirmed that the entire nation stood united in support of the armed forces of Pakistan.

It said Pakistan’s resolve to respond to Indian aggression in a befitting manner, illustrated by actions taken on Feb 27 demonstrated Pakistan’s right, will and capability of self-defence.

UNSC urged to condemn Indian aggression

The resolution called upon the international community and the United Nations Security Council to condemn in an unambiguous manner Indian government’s highly irresponsible actions escalating the tension to a new level and seriously endangering peace and stability in the region.

Condemning the Indian atrocities in India-held Kashmir and arrest of Kashmiri leaders, the resolution rejected the India’s attempt to label the legitimate the Kashmiri struggle for self-determination as terrorism. It reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir was an internationally recognized dispute, pending on the agenda of UNSC due to Indian intransigence.

The resolution emphasised that a just and peaceful solution of the Kashmir dispute was an unfinished agenda of the partition of India and essential for durable peace and stability in the region.

It called upon India to put an immediate halt to continued human rights violations in the occupied Kashmir and implement the UNSC resolutions on Kashmir, calling for an impartial plebiscite to determine the future of Kashmir.

The parliament endorsed Prime Minister Imran Khan’s call to avoid further escalation and requested the Indian parliament to support the call by this joint session of Pakistani parliament also for de-escalation and dialogue between India and Pakistan.

Speaking at the joint session of the parliament, FM Qureshi said he had written twice in the last few days to the UAE leadership, including the one on Thursday, requesting them not to invite the Indian minister as guests of honour. “However, the UAE leadership regretted that [Indian minister] Sushma Swaraj was invited well before the Pulwama attack and therefore it would be quite difficult to cancel the invitation,” he added.

He said Turkey being an important member of the OIC also expressed displeasure over the invitation to Indian external affairs minister and conveyed to Islamabad that Turkey would play its due role in the session.

Mr Qureshi said the UN Security General had made an offer for mediation between Pakistan and India. “Pakistan has no objection to it rather we invite the UN chief to visit Pakistan and the region, and witness himself the situation and play his role,” he added.

He said Pakistan also welcomed the offer of his Russian counterpart to act as a bridge between Pakistan and India. “Under Russia’s mediation Pakistan is ready for talks to de-escalate the situation,” he added.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif appreciated the foreign minister for respecting the sentiments of the two houses by deciding not to attend the OIC meeting. But he suggested that Pakistan without losing its friends again ask them not to invite India in OIC meetings.

He demanded that a committee comprising parliamentarians from both houses be formed and tasked to apprise international leaders of Pakistan’s point of view on Kashmir and the ongoing Indian aggression in the valley.

Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari emphasised that Pakistan must attend the OIC conference to vehemently apprise the member states about “inimical and nefarious designs of India against the council’s founding member, Pakistan”.

He lauded the squadron leader of Pakistan Air Force who shot down the Indian aircraft, and hailed the decision to hand the IAF pilot back to India.

Finance Minister Asad Umar said Pakistan was passing through economic crisis but it [crisis] was not so severe that the country couldn’t defend its sovereignty.

“Despite prevailing tension, our economic indicators remained positive during the last week and exports witnessed an upsurge while the stock market is also seeing bullish trend,” he added.

Apprehending that the OIC might give the status of a permanent member to India, Khawaja Asif of the PML-N said Pakistan must block such a move. He hailed the government decision not to attend the meeting of Foreign Ministers’ Council. “We should not sit on the forums where India is invited especially after its [recent] aggression against Pakistan and the [ongoing] gross human rights violations in occupied Kashmir,” he added.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudry said the prime minister had demonstrated the role of a statesman in the current situation that was also being hailed in India. “India is divided, while there is complete unity in Pakistan on the issue,” he said, adding that the entire nation was proud of the armed forces over the way they handled the situation.

Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak again invited India for talks to resolve all contentious issues and recalled that Pakistan was not behind the Pulwama incident. At the same time, he warned India of dire consequences if it again resorted to aggression.

The minister said peace in the region would remain elusive till the resolution of Kashmir dispute.

Mushahidullah of the PML-N said the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was an offshoot of a terrorist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). “It was never seen in the world that the offshoot of a terrorist organisation ruled any country, except in India,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2019