Pakistan scores major diplomatic victory in Abu Dhabi summit

Abu Dhabi: Pakistan received a major diplomatic gain on the final day of the 2nd Extra-Ordinary Conference of the Parliamentary Union of Islamic Countries (PUIC) when on the intervention of Dr. Fehmida Mirza, the Conference agreed to include the issue of Kashmir in its final declaration.The 11-point  draft declaration, put for the consideration of the 51 Member Conference had no mention of the age-old dispute although it dealt in detail with the Palestine problem, inter-faith dialogue, rights of minorities in the Islamic countries, the Tunisian unrest and other contemporary issues of the Muslim World.This anomaly was pointed by Dr. Fehmida Mirza, who led the Pakistan’s Parliamentary Delegation at the one-day Conference.She remarked that though her country fully supported the outcome of the Conference, it pained her heart that the representatives of the Ummah had ignored the plight of over 10 million Kashmiris, who were denied the basic right to self-determination for almost seven decades. She urged the PUIC not to forget the plight of innocent Kashmiris and express its solidarity with them.The President of the Conference, Mr. Abul Aziz Abdullah Al Ghurair, the Speaker of the UAE Federal National Council put the matter to vote before the House, which was carried unanimously by all Speakers and Presiding Officers of  the Parliaments of the Muslim Countries.As a result, a separate para 12 was added to the final declaration,expressing strong support for the resolution of the longstanding Kashmir dispute in accordance with the United Nations Resolutions and wishes of the Kashmiri people.After the adoption of the Declaration, Dr. Fehmida Mirza was approached by numerous Speakers from Muslim Countries, congratulating her on articulately advocating Kashmir’s case – APP