Kashmir raised in Maldives; heated exchange between Indo-Pak delegates

New Delhi: The ongoing standoff between India and Pakistan escalated and reached Maldives Parliament on Sunday after Islamabad tried to raise the issue of abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

The heated exchange of words took place at the 4th South Asian Speakers’ Summit in the Maldives between Pakistan’s Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Qasim Suri, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh and Pakistan Senator Quratulain Marri.

Besides them, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla was also present at the event, NDTV reported.

As per a video released by raajje.mv, the argument kicked off after Qasim Suri said that one cannot overlook the atrocities meted upon the Kashmiris.

A point of order was immediately raised by India and a strong rebuttal was given by Harviansh Singh.

“We strongly object to raising the internal issue of India here and we also reject the politicisation of this forum by raising issues which are extraneous to the theme of this summit,” he said.

“There is a need for Pakistan to end cross-border terrorism in all kinds of state support in the interest of regional peace and stability. Also, this forum is purely meant to discuss sustainable development goals (SDG) and this issue (Kashmir) should not be part of the proceedings.”

In a point of order from the Pakistani senator, Quratulain Marri said, “SDG cannot be achieved without human rights.”

Continuing his attack on Pakistan, Singh then said that a country which indulges in the genocide of its own individuals have no moral right to raise the issue of Kashmir.

He was, however, interrupted by Quratulain Marri who said, “Pakistan is not the purveyor but a victim of terror. How can you make such a remark? How dare can someone say this? We have lost more people in terror than anyone else.”

She also demanded that the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman’s remarks be expunged from the record.