Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday rejected certain references to Jammu and Kashmir made by Sadiq Sanjrani, Chairman of Pakistan’s Senate during the fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament.
“Jammu and Kashmir has been and will remain an integral part of India. We call upon Pakistan to end cross-border terrorism. Our overtures should not be taken as a sign for weakness,” Birla said during the Conference using India’s right to reply to a statement made by Pakistan.
Birla reminded the World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, organised by the International Parliamentary Union, that it was Pakistan whose Prime Minister had glorified dreaded terrorist Osama bin Laden as a martyr.
Birla said the UN Analytical Support Sanctions Monitoring Team has mentioned Pakistan as the leading exporter of terror with more than 6,000 nationals currently engaged in terrorism.
“The international community should isolate Pakistan to increase the cost of engaging in terror activities,” the Lok Sabha Speaker said.
He noted that Pakistan's prime minister had admitted to nearly 40,000 militants on its soil.
“Pakistan's aggressions against J&K in 1965, 1971, 1999 (Kargil), attack on Mumbai and Parliament, Uri, Pulwama etc. show Pakistan's state-sponsored policy of terrorism as evident in the inaction against likes of Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar and Ehsanullah Ehsan,” Birla said.