Singhvi slams Pakistan for raising Kashmir at SAARC video-conference

Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi slammed Pakistan on Sunday for raising the Kashmir issue during the SAARC nations' video-conference on coronavirus, saying the country deserved to be "quarantined" by the global community.

Pakistan used the SAARC nations' video-conference on coronavirus on Sunday to raise the Kashmir issue, with the country's State Minister of Health Zafar Mirza calling for an immediate lifting of the "lockdown" there to allow virus containment measures.

"Pakistan can't stoop lower than this. During a humongous humanitarian crisis, it sends a junior minister for SAARC meeting of heads of state. Then raises Kashmir issue in the meeting out of nowhere. Pity," Singhvi said in a tweet.

The neighbouring country deserved to be "quarantined" by the global community, he added.

Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill tweeted, saying, "Pakistan raising Kashmir issue during 'SAARC fights Corona' meeting reflects their 'petty, poor & pathetic' standard of governance & 'myopic, misplaced & malicious' priorities even in this hour of global crisis threatening mankind - shocking and shameful."

He also lauded the Modi government's initiative as regards the SAARC nations' video-conference.

"Good initiative by government of India to organise SAARC COVID-2019 meet via video conferencing -- collaborating to cure & curtail the Corona spread is the need of the hour," Shergill said.

Apart from Mirza, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, Bhutanese premier Lotay Tshering, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani participated in the video-conference.