NEW DELHI: The Indian Parliament on Friday adopted a resolution against the one by the Pakistan Assembly’s on Afzal Guru on Thursday and said that it amounted to interference in India’s internal affairs.
Pakistani Parliament had condemned Afzal Guru’s execution and demanded that his body be returned to his family.
However, senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh said that Pakistan’s resolution was an immature decision and tit for tat is unnecessary. “We need not behave in a way that Pakistan does,” said Jaswant.
India has already put on hold the group visa agreement between the two countries in the wake of the militant attack in Srinagar. New Delhi believes the militants to have come from Pakistan.
India has also put on hold the upcoming hockey tours with Pakistan. The series was scheduled to be held from April 5 in India.
Earlier in the day, the BJP demanded that the government should end all dialogue with Pakistan.
“We must lodge a strong protest against Pakistan at the international level. We must scale down diplomatic efforts with Pakistan and suspend all confidence building measures. They have no meaning.”
Afzal Guru was executed and buried in at Delhi’s Tihar Jail, triggering large protests in Kashmir.
External Affairs minister, Salman Khurshid, reacting to the Pakistani resolution, had said that Pakistan has no jurisdiction over action taken by the Government of India against terror activities committed on Indian soil.
“It’s a matter within the jurisdiction of India. In their Assembly they should address matters of their country and they should let our Assembly address matters of our country,” Khurshid said.
Full text of the resolution:
“This House totally rejects the resolution passed by the National Assembly of Pakistan on March 14, 2013. The House notes that Pakistan has committed that it would not allow its territory to be used for terrorism against India and only fulfillment of this statement can be the basis for peaceful relations with Pakistan.”
“The House rejects interference in the internal affairs of India and calls upon the National Assembly of Pakistan to desist from such acts of support for extremist and terrorist elements.”
“The House reiterates that the entire State of Jammu and Kashmir including the territory under illegal occupation of Pakistan is and shall always be an integral part of India. Any attempt from any quarter to interfere in the internal affairs of India will be met with resolutely and with complete unity of our nation.”
(with inputs from CNN-IBN)
