If India boycotts meet, it's their choice: Pakistan

If India boycotts the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) here because the Jammu and Kashmir assembly speaker was not invited, it is India's problem, a Pakistani official has said.

But come what may, Pakistan won't budge from its stand, said Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, speaker of the National Assembly who is also the president of the CPC.

The Dawn on Tuesday quoted Sadiq as saying that Pakistan's position on Jammu and Kashmir was clear.

"Pakistan will not invite the speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly to the (CPC) (next month).

"The assembly of Indian-held Kashmir is not legitimate so we will not accept it," he said on Monday.

"If India does not attend the conference, because of the Kashmir issue, it is their choice. We cannot budge from our stand," he added.

The speaker said Jammu and Kashmir was on the UN agenda and had been an unsettled dispute since 1947.

India has refused to attend the Commonwealth meet in protest against the refusal of Pakistan to invite the Jammu and Kashmir speaker.