MillenniumPost
Nation

Parliament hits back at Pakistan

India-Pakistan relations hit a new low with both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha passing resolutions asserting that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir, including the territory under illegal occupation of Pakistan, ‘is and shall always be an integral part of India’. The resolutions were taken up in response to Pakistan parliament’s resolution on Afzal Guru a day before.

The Ministry of External Affairs, sending tough signals about the offence it has taken to Pak move, decided on Friday to cancel the visa of the Pakistan hockey team, which was scheduled to visit India next month.

Emphasising that any attempt to interfere in India’s internal affairs will be met ‘resolutely and with complete unity’ of the nation, the resolution passed in Parliament asked Pakistan to fulfill its commitment not to allow terrorism from its soil if it wants peaceful relations with India. The resolution was read out by Speaker Meira Kumar in Lok Sabha and Chairman Hamid Ansari in Rajya Sabha.

‘This House totally rejects the Resolution passed by the National Assembly of Pakistan on 14 March, 2013,’ said the resolutions. Pakistan’s National Assembly had, on Thursday, passed a resolution condemning the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and demanded that his body be returned to his family.

The issue was raised by senior BJP leader and former external affairs minister Yashwant Sinha who urged that the Lok Sabha should unanimously give a befitting reply to the resolution passed by the National Assembly of Pakistan.

‘I urge that this House (Lok Sabha) should pass a resolution to give a befitting reply to National Assembly of Pakistan’s resolution,’ Sinha said. In the Rajya Sabha, Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley asked the government to reconsider its engagements with Pakistan in light of Thursday’s resolution.

The diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan spilled over to the sporting arena as the Indian government refused permission for a home-and-away bilateral hockey series between the two countries on security grounds. A source in the Ministry of External Affairs said that Hockey India has been asked to call off the bilateral series. ‘The bilateral series between India and Pakistan has been cancelled as the MEA sent a fax asking Hockey India not to host Pakistan or travel to the country for the series,’ said a source.


HOUSE GROUSE
  • PAKISTAN'S National Assembly passes resolution condemning hanging of Afzal Guru and demanding his body be returned to his family

  • SENIOR BJP leader Yashwant Sinha urges that Lok Sabha should unanimously give a befitting reply to the resolution
     
  • IN RAJYA Sabha, Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley asks government to reconsider its engagements with Pakistan
     
  • DIPLOMATIC tensions between India and Pakistan spill over to the sporting arena
     
  • INDIAN government refuses permission for a home-and-away bilateral hockey series between two countries on security grounds
Next Story
Share it