Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday announced that he will not attend the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Dubai due to the attendance of Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj.

New Delhi, March 01, 2019–

Sushma Swaraj has been invited as a ‘guest of honour’ at the inaugural session of the foreign ministers’ conclave in Abu Dhabi next month.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi: I will not attend Council of Foreign Ministers as a matter of principle for having extended invitation as a Guest of Honour to Sushma Swaraj.

Earlier in the day, Qureshi had said that he will not sit with Sushma Swaraj until tensions prevail at the borders. “Pakistan is the founder member of the OIC and it is our forum. We will attend it and put Pakistan’s view on the table. India is not even the observer of the OIC, they have been invited for the first time. I will not sit together with Sushma ji until tensions prevail at our borders,” Qureshi said.

Pakistan had expressed unease at the invitation to India for the OIC meet in Abu Dhabi on March 01 and 02. They further issued a press note to express their concern regarding this.

Pakistan’s foreign minister had earlier expressed reservations at the invitation to Sushma Swaraj at the OIC. He was also said to have to exert pressure at OIC to withdraw the invitation to the Indian minister.

Speaking on Geo News show, Aaj Shahzaib Khanzada Kay Sath, Mehmood Qureshi said, “I have spoken to the United Arab Emirates foreign minister and have expressed my reservations over her invitation. I have made myself clear that India has shown aggression.”

“Under the current circumstances, it will not be possible for me to attend OIC meeting where Sushma Swaraj is present,” Qureshi said.