Sushma Swaraj urges OIC to press states backing terror; Pakistan skips meet
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday urged the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to put pressure on countries that shelter and fund terrorist groups, telling its foreign ministers’ meeting that such states must be asked to dismantle terror infrastructure. Pakistan stayed away from the meeting in Abu Dhabi.
What Swaraj said
Speaking as guest of honour, Swaraj said that to save humanity, states providing safe haven and money to terrorists must be told to shut down the camps on their soil and stop supporting such organisations. She said the fight against terrorism was not a confrontation with any religion, and quoted from the Quran, the Guru Granth Sahib and the Rig Veda. Terrorism and extremism, she said, go by different names but are driven by a distortion of religion.
She did not name Pakistan, but said the reach of terrorism was growing.
Pakistan’s boycott
It was the first time an Indian external affairs minister had been invited to the OIC meeting. Pakistan’s foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, told a joint session of his country’s parliament that India had no legal or moral basis to be present, and Pakistan’s parliament decided to boycott the meeting.
Background
The invitation came as India sought to isolate Pakistan internationally after the February 14 attack in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 40 CRPF personnel and was claimed by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed. About two weeks later, on Tuesday, the IAF struck a Jaish camp in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, citing intelligence that the group was planning more attacks.
On Wednesday, Pakistan Air Force jets crossed the Line of Control and tried to target Indian military installations. The IAF foiled the attempt and shot down an F-16, but lost a MiG 21 Bison flown by Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who came down in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and was detained by the Pakistan Army. On Thursday, Prime Minister Imran Khan told Pakistan’s parliament that the pilot would be released as a peace gesture.
What happened next
Pakistan returned Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman on 1 March 2019.
See also: political leaders
Originally published on 1 March 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.
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