Pakistan Parliament Speaker’s decision of singling out the Speaker of J&K Legislative Assembly from the list of 31 Speakers of the Assemblies of Indian States in the 61st annual Commonwealth Inter-Parliamentary conference to be held in Islamabad from 30 September to 8 October is illegal, arbitrary and politically motivated. Pakistan Parliament Speaker has no right to adopt pick and choose policy in regard to extending invitations to the Speakers of Inter-Parliamentary Union. Being the host of the Inter-Parliamentary meet does not empower Pakistan to violate the Constitution that governs the Commonwealth Parliamentary Union. Article 8 of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association stipulates that each ‘Branch’ (meaning Parliament and State Assemblies) shall be entitled to send prescribed number of delegates and officials to each plenary conference. Thus Jammu and Kashmir Branch is entitled to send one delegate to the Conference. Therefore, the decision of the Pakistan Parliament Speaker is blatant violation of the Act and the Constitution of the CPU.
The decision of not inviting the Speaker of J&K Assembly is politically motivated. Pakistan considers J&K a disputed State between India and Pakistan. It thinks that inviting the Speaker of the “disputed” State to the Inter-Parliamentary Speakers’ meet would mean Pakistan legitimizing accession of J&K to the Indian Union. If that is the criterion for Pakistan then the Speaker of Baluchistan Provincial Assembly should be excluded from invitation because Baluchis are fighting the freedom struggle ever since the creation of Pakistan in 1947 and the annexation of Baluchistan by Punjabi military and bureaucrats was brought about by force of arms. The top leaders of Baluch freedom struggle were murdered and incarcerated by military regimes of Pakistan. Baluch armed struggle for freedom is going on with full force.
J&K Assembly Speaker participated in the 2007 meet of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Assembly. No objection was raised then. Just because Pakistan happens to hold the 61st meet on its soil, she wants to assign to her the right of extending invitations according to her sweet will. This is a subsidiary body of the Commonwealth of Nations from which Pakistan has been hopping in and out in the past as it suited her. Pakistan is misusing her status as the host of the conference. Pakistan is politicizing invitation to the body of Assembly Speakers. Pakistan is violating the Constitution of the CPU and taking arbitrary and unilateral decision in regard to sending invitation letters. All this shows that Pakistan is trying to take the Commonwealth Parliamentary Union for a ride. Therefore, in the light of these violations and irregularities, the Speaker of Pakistan Parliament has forfeited the right to function as the host. Pakistan should be expelled from the conference and the venue of the conference should be immediately shifted to another member state of the Commonwealth. This is the least that the Chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Union should do right now.
As far as the Pakistani claim that inviting J&K Assembly Speaker will be the violation of Security Council Resolution of 1956, let Pakistan be told that it has blatantly violated the Security Council Resolution of 1948 on Kashmir which directed Pakistan to withdraw all its troops and fighting men from the part of J&K State under its illegal occupation as first step in resolving Kashmir issue.
As far as India is concerned, being a senior and much respected member of the Commonwealth, she has taken the right decision of boycotting the Inter-Parliamentary meet. Commonwealth culture disallows bilateral issues to be dragged to the deliberations of the Parliamentary Union. By singling out the J&K Speaker and not the Speaker of Baluch Provincial Assembly, Pakistan has deliberately tried to induct bilateral politics into this forum. Therefore, India should demand expulsion of Pakistan from the Commonwealth on the basis of trying to subvert the CPU. India should make her participation in the Inter-Parliamentary meet conditional to expulsion of Pakistan from the Commonwealth. That is what behooves a big and senior member of the Commonwealth. By taking that decision, India will set forth the high norm of respecting the rules that govern this organ of the Commonwealth.
India should move a resolution in the CPU that any member raising bilateral issue should be debarred from attending that session of the conference. Unless India takes a strong stand at this point of time, it will become a recurring feature for Pakistan to raise bilateral issues on such platforms.
The ball is now in the court of Dr Shirin Chaudhury, Speaker of Bangladesh Parliament and Chairperson of the CPA Executive Committee to use her good offices to immediately resolve the matter. India’s decision of boycotting the conference is already known to her and now it is the responsibility of the Executive Committee to save or spoil the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
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