Pakistan on Thursday canceled the Commonwealth parliamentary conference over issue of invitation to J&K assembly speaker.
On August 11, refusing to budge from its stand, Pakistan had said that come what may it would not invite the Speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Islamabad.
Pakistan had also said that if India wanted to boycott the meeting it was “their choice”.
“If India does not attend the conference, because of the Kashmir issue, it is their choice. We cannot budge from our stand,” National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq had said then.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Special Adviser on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz had said Kashmir was a disputed territory and Pakistan does not recognise its Assembly.
“Pakistan does not recognise and accept the said Assembly as legitimate one,” Aziz had said.
In a move which had miffed India, Pakistan had invited the Speakers of the Indian Parliament and the state assemblies but has refused to invite J&K Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta.
Pakistan had not sent an invitation to the J-K Assembly Speaker for the Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting to be held from September 30 to October 8 in Islamabad while invitations have been sent to all the other Speakers in India.
