New Delhi: Pakistan has called on the United Arab emirates and Saudi Arabia to “re-evaluate” the invitation to India to attend the plenary session of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC)’s council of ministers, claiming that it had committed “aggression” against a founding member of the Islamic bloc.
Meanwhile, OIC’s General Secretariat issued a statement that “condemned the Indian incursion and aerial violation and dropping of four bombs today, 26 February 2019”. The statement described it as an action “against an OIC founding member state”.
It also urged India and Pakistan “to exercise restraint and avoid any steps that would endanger peace and security in the region” and called upon both countries “to act responsibly”.
There had also been a separate statement issued by the emergency meeting of the OIC contact group on Kashmir that passed strictures on the human rights situation in the Indian state.
India had announced on February 23 that external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had been invited by the UAE foreign minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan to address the plenary session of the OIC ministers meeting on March 1.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Tuesday, Pakistan foreign minister S.M. Qureshi said that he had spoken with his UAE and Saudi counterparts over the matter.
Qureshi said that he conversed with the UAE foreign minister a day earlier and conveyed his unhappiness over the fact that Pakistan had not been consulted before the decision to invite the Indian foreign minister was announced.
“I told him what has been Pakistan’s redlines and also apprised him about history. He said that he will respond to me tonight,” said Qureshi.
At the first Islamic summit in 1969, Pakistan President Yahya Khan had refused to leave his villa if the Indian delegation was present in the plenary hall. Since then, no Indian representative has attended an OIC meeting.
The Pakistan foreign minister stated that after the Pulwama terror attack, Kashmiri students were attacked across ten states in India.
“Not only has a OIC founding member suffered aggression, but Indian Muslims and Kashmir youth have been targeted (after the Pulwama attack),” he said.
“In this situation, how can that forum which is the voice of Muslims call a nation that commits aggression, targets Muslims and has ridiculed OIC statements into the dustbin, be invited,” asked Qureshi.
Pakistan has “requested” the OIC host country that “keeping in mind the recent developments, the situation should be re-evaluated,” the foreign minister added.