Indian High Commission says not to attend the Pakistan Day parade

ISLAMABAD: Indian High Commission in Islamabad has announced not to attend the Pakistan Day parade in Islamabad on March 23, ARY News reported on Friday.

The high commission in a statement said that no representative of the Indian mission will attend any government ceremony tomorrow (Saturday).

Pakistan as host country invited the Indian diplomats according to the diplomatic tradition to witness the Pakistan Day parade here.

Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Muhammad will be the guest of honour at Pakistan Day parade tomorrow.

Indian defence attaché and senior diplomats had last year attended the parade on invitation of the Pakistan government.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Indian government also decided not to send any official representative to attend the Pakistan Day celebrations scheduled to be held at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi today.

According to Indian media reports, the New Delhi government decided not to send its representatives due to Pakistan high commission’s invitation to Hurriyat Conference leaders in the ceremony.

The development comes on the back of Pulwama attack in occupied Kashmir on February 14, which killed more than 40 Indian CRPF personnel.

The sabre rattling by Indian government and violation of Pakistan’s airspace by Indian fighter jets On February 27, was resulted in dangerous escalation of tensions between the two countries. Pakistan Air Force (PAF) struck down two intruding Indian fighter jets and arrested one pilot, who ejected himself after being hit in the airspace of Pakistan in Azad Jammu and Kashmir — something that came as an unexpected setback for India.

Pakistan as a goodwill gesture later returned the captured Indian pilot, Abhinandan, back to the New Delhi.