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Top Pakistan official complains to Maldives over India row

Mohamed Visham
18 October 2016, MVT 13:06
Pakistan senate chairman Raza Rabbani greets Maldives president Yameen during their meeting on Monday. PHOTO/PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
Mohamed Visham
18 October 2016, MVT 13:06

Pakistan senate chairman Raza Rabbani has campaigned against neighbouring India during his visit to the Maldives accusing the regional giants of sponsoring state terrorism in Pakistan.

The two arch rival has been embroiled in conflict following a raid last month on an Indian army base that killed 19 soldiers.

New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based militants for the attack, which triggered calls at home for an aggressive response.

India said its troops later hit militants across the border in Pakistan, sparking fury from Islamabad which denied that strikes had taken place.

Rabbani during his meeting with Maldives president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom reportedly said India's actions has continued undermine regional stability and curtailed the efforts to alleviate poverty and the well-being of the Pakistani people.

According to a handout issued by the Senate secretariat in Pakistan on Monday, Rabbani informed president Yameen that recently a serving Indian naval commander Kulbhushan Jadhav was arrested in Pakistan who had been involved in fostering unrest in the country.

“Such steps being taken by India clearly show its expansionist designs in the region,” Rabbani was quoted to have stated in the meeting.

The Senate chairman further said that Pakistan despite these provocative actions looked for a lasting peace in the region for which the Kashmir dispute needed to be resolved in line with the UN resolutions.

He also highlighted the gross violation of human rights and international laws by India in held Kashmir. He brought to the notice of the president the use of pellet bullets and the loss of eyesight of innocent children. He further stated that over 90 days had passed and the valley continued to be under curfew.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meanwhile urged BRICS leaders Sunday to take a strong united stand against the "mothership of terrorism" in the South Asian region, in a thinly veiled reference to Pakistan.

Modi said a country in India's neighbourhood had links to "terror modules" around the world, which the emerging nations club of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa should strongly condemn.

"In our region, terrorism poses a grave threat to peace, security and development," Modi told leaders at the BRICS summit in the tourist state of Goa.

"Tragically the mothership of terrorism is a country in India's neighbourhood," Modi said without naming Pakistan.

"Terror modules around the world are linked to this mothership. This country shelters not just terrorists. It nurtures a mindset. A mindset that loudly proclaims that terrorism is justified for political gains."

"It is a mindset we strongly condemn. And against which we as BRICS need to stand and act together. BRICS must speak in one voice against this threat," he said.

Maldives has continued to adopt a diplomatic approach to the row after most of the countries pulled out of the regional summit slated to be held in Pakistan.

Five nations including India, pulled out of the 19th SAARC Summit following the Uri terror attack blamed on Pakistani terrorists.

Sri Lanka on Friday became the fifth nation to express its unwillingness to attend the upcoming 19th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation or SAARC Summit, saying the prevailing environment in the region is not conducive for holding the summit.

Following the pull-out Pakistan has now said it will announce new dates for the summit which originally slated to be held from November 9-10 in Islamabad.

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