India, Pakistan fight over Kashmir in Maldives Parliament

Delegation of Indian and Pakistan Parliament Speakers indulge into an ugly fight in the Maldives Parliament today after Pakistani side tried to raise the Kashmir issue during the South Asian Speakers' Summit on sustainable development goals (SDG).

The exchange of heated arguments happened after Pakistan's Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Qasim Suri referred to the Kashmir during the discussion on SDG in Maldives Parliament Majlis.

In response to this, Indian delegation represented by Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Singh and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla immediately raised a Point of Order against Pakistan's statement and requested the Maldives Speaker to remove Pakistan's statements from the House record.


"We strongly object to raising of the internal matter of India on this forum. We also reject the politicisation of the forum by raising issues which are extraneous to the theme (SDG) of the summit," Harivansh Narayan Singh said in a strong rebuttal.


Hinting towards Pakistan, Singh said Pakistan should "end cross border terrorism and all kinds of state support to the same", This need to be done "in the interest of regional peace and stability."

Responding to India's statement, Pakistan Senator Quratulain Marri said, "SDGs for women and youth, nothing can be achieved without human rights." She was, however, interrupted by Maldives Parliament Speaker Nasheed.


Amid continuous ruckus and repeated attempts by Nasheed to calm down things between India and Pakistan, India's deputy speaker responded to Pakistan saying "A country that perpetrated a genocide of its own people" has " no moral right" to speak on the human rights issue.