Pak using CICA platform for anti-India propaganda: Meenakashi Lekhi

NEW DELHI: India said on Thursday that it desired normal relations with all its neighbours, including Pakistan, and advised Islamabad to create a conducive atmosphere, including by taking “credible, verifiable and irreversible actions” to not allow any territory under its control to be used for cross border terrorism against it.

Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakashi Lekhi said this while addressing the 6th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Astana, Kazakhstan. “Pakistan has chosen to once again misuse the CICA platform to propagate false and malicious propaganda against my country and distract from the theme and focus of Thursday’s discussions and cooperation among member states.  

The Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have been and will remain an integral part of India. Pakistan has no locus standi to comment on India’s internal affairs,’’ Lekhi, who was sent as India’s special envoy, said during the 6th CICA Summit which was attended by 11 heads of states which included Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

There are 27 CICA members states which include Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Vietnam, Egypt, Israel, India, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, China, Mongolia, UAE, Pakistan, Palestine, South Korea, Russia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Sri Lanka. Nine more states and five international organizations participate as observers. The CICA headquarters has been located in Astana since 2014. India went further to add that Pakistan’s remarks constituted gross interference in India’s internal affairs, sovereignty and territorial integrity which is inconsistent with the CICA Declaration on the Principles Guiding Relations between the CICA Member States of September 1999.

“Pakistan is the global epicentre of terrorism and continues to be the source of terrorist activities including in India. Pakistan continues to make no investment in human development but provides their resources for creating and sustaining infrastructure of terrorism. Pakistan must immediately cease anti-India cross-border terrorism and shut down its infrastructure of terrorism. It will do well to stop the grave and persistent human rights violations in Pakistan occupied Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh, refrain from effecting any further material changes in the status of PoJKL and vacate the Indian territories that are under its illegal and forcible occupation,’’

Lekhi added. Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif accused India of human rights abuse and said that Kashmir is manifested of bullet being a preferred Indian policy than ballot. He also said he wanted to return to a meaningful dialogue with India. “I am absolutely ready and willing to have a serious dialogue and discussion with our counterparts, Indians, provided that they show sincerity of purpose and they show that they are ready to discuss issues that have really kept us at a distance over decades,’’ Sharif said in his address.

Lekhi also said that India desired normal relations with its neighbours, including Pakistan. “Pakistan is thereby advised to walk the talk by creating a conducive atmosphere, including by taking credible, verifiable and irreversible actions to not allow any territory under its control to be used for cross border terrorism against India in any manner.