India opposes Pakistan's propaganda at Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference

India on Saturday strongly opposed Pakistan`s propaganda on Kashmir at General Assembly of Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Kampala, the capital of Uganda.

According to an official statement issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, Pakistani Parliamentary Delegation raised the issue of Kashmir saying that "Indian military forces had seized Kashmir".

Opposing the Pakistani propaganda, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Roopa Ganguly hit back saying the tradition of military rule is prevalent in Pakistan and that Islamabad had been under Army rule for 33 years.

She added that military rule was unknown in India. An Indian parliamentary delegation led by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is currently participating in the 64th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference being held in Kampala, Uganda from September 22 to 29.

The delegation is comprised of Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Roopa Ganguly, MP (Rajya Sabha); L. Hanumanthaiah, MP (Rajya Sabha), Aparajita Sarangi, MP (Lok Sabha) and Snehlata Shrivastava, Secretary General, Lok Sabha.

The Presiding Officers and Secretaries of State Legislatures, who are members of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, are also participating in the conference.

Pakistan had earlier raised the same issue during the 4th South Asian Speakers` Summit held in Male, the Maldives from September 1-2 on the subject `Achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

`The Indian delegation led by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had strongly opposed the baseless allegations. As a result, the issues raised by Pakistan were rejected and left out of the Male Declaration.

Earlier, India slammed Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for misusing United Nations General Assembly platform to justify terrorism.

Strongly hitting back at Khan`s statement at UN General Assembly in New York, India said, its citizens do not need anyone else to speak on their behalf and least of all those who have built an industry of terrorism from the ideology of hate.

Exercising the right of reply, First Secretary in India`s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Vidisha Maitra said, unfortunately, Pakistan Prime Minister`s speech was a "callous portrayal of the world in binary terms."