The Pakistan High Commission in Kuala Lumpur has denied allegations that it attempted to block an Indian parliamentary delegation’s recent visit to Malaysia.
Its High Commissioner Syed Ahsan Raza Shah dismissed the claims - first aired by India’s NDTV - as “preposterous” and “unthinkable.”
“In the context of contemporary diplomacy, it would be unthinkable for an embassy to ask its host country not to allow a delegation from another country,” he said at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.
Syed Ahsan said the reports surfaced after the Indian delegation had returned home.
“One Indian TV channel claimed the visit was a success because the Pakistani High Commission had asked the Malaysian government not to allow them in - but that Malaysia had rejected the request.
“To say the least, this is preposterous. As professional diplomats, how can we have the audacity to ask our host country - whose policies we fully respect - to do such a thing?” he stressed.
Bid to scuttle?
On Wednesday, NDTV quoted unnamed sources who alleged that Malaysia had rejected Pakistan’s attempt to scuttle the visit by the Indian delegation.
The Indian delegation, led by Janata Dal (United) MP Sanjay Jha, included several MPs - Aparajita Sarangi, Brij Lal, Pradan Baruah, Hemang Joshi, John Brittas (CPI-M), Salman Khurshid (Congress), and Abhishek Banerjee (Trinamool Congress), as well as former diplomat Mohan Kumar.
The group was on a regional tour - which also included Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, and Singapore - as part of India’s diplomatic response to counter Pakistan’s narrative following the recent Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 27 civilians, and India’s subsequent Operation Sindoor.
Reiterating his rejection of the NDTV report, Syed Ahsan said it was “almost laughable, ridiculous and preposterous” to suggest that Pakistan had tried to interfere in Malaysia’s domestic or foreign policy.
He also pointed to broader disinformation in Indian media targeting Pakistan.
“There are reports saying that our territories are now under Indian occupation - not only is this false, but I encourage you to ask your government whether any part of this (NDTV report) is true.
“I also suggest similar questions be put to India’s High Commission here,” he added.
Syed Ahsan further took issue with the claim that Pakistan had supposedly invoked “Islamic solidarity” in asking Malaysia to block the Indian delegation.
“This is very irresponsible. I will leave it to your imagination why the term ‘Islamic solidarity’ was used,” he said. - Mkini
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