Pakistan will not attend OIC meeting over invitation to India , FM tells joint sitting of parliament

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday said he will not attend OIC's Council of Foreign Minister's meeting due to India's participation

He was  briefing the joint sitting of the parliament called in the wake of confrontation with India.

The session which began on Friday would continue today. Speaker Assad Qaiser is presiding over the session.

The minister  said OIC meeting is taking place today in Abu Dhabi, adding that he had requested the UAE  to review  the decision to invite India to the  OIC. 

""I requested UAE to either postpone the meeting, or the body should review its decision to invite India," he said.  

"India is neither a member , nor an observer," the minister said.

The minister said the UAE, which always stood by Pakistan in difficult times, informed him that the invitation to India was extended before the Pulwama attack took place.

The foreign minister also briefed  the house about his contacts with UN Secretary General, Turkish, Russian and diplomats from other countries. 

Resolution passed against Indian aggression 

Many lawmakers including Asif Zardari, Shehbaz Sharif, Mushahidullah Khan make speeches during the session of the joint sitting of the parliament after which , Shah Mehmood Qureshi presented a resolution condemning Indian aggression and urging the United Nations to resolve issue of Kashmir in the light of world body's resolution.

The joint sitting of the parliament condemned the Indian cruelties in Occupied Kashmir and asked UN to complete its incomplete agenda.

The session also expressed disappointment over the OIC decision to invite Indian Foreign Minister to the body's Council of Foreign Ministers meeting.

It urged India to stop violation of human rights and condemned arrest of Hurriyat leaders.

The session also endorsed the National Security Committee's decision to respond to Indian aggression at the "timing and place of its own choice".

It urged the UN to play its role in deescalating the situation and paid tribute to the Pakistan Air Force for timely and effective response.

The resolution also rejected Indian allegations related to the Pulwama attack. 

Asif Ali Zardari

The   PPP leader  opposed the decision to boycott the meeting, saying Islamabad can send Foreign Secretary to the meeting. 

"It is my opinion that Foreign Minister should attend   Council of Foreign Minister's meeting," he said.

"Not going is not the solution to problem. We should not forget our friends," said the PPP co-chairman.

He, however, fully supported  the government's  decision to release captured Indian pilot.

Zardari said  it would  improve Pakistan's image in the world.

He also paid tribute to the Pakistani pilot who downed the Indian aircraft earlier this week. 

Later, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed  disappointment over government's decision to boycott OIC meeting.

"Cutting your nose to spite your face is never a great strategy," he said  in Twitter post after stressing the need to participate in important international forums which he said must be engaged at this critical time.