British MPs reject Pak invite to PoK meet

ISLAMABAD, Aug 11: Pakistan suffered a major diplomatic setback this week when several British and European parliamentarians rejected Pakistan’s invitation to attend a two-day conference on Kashmir, being held at Muzafarabad in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir from tomorrow, media reports said today.

Barring one, all other British MPs and members of the European parliament turned down the invite, daily Dawn reported. Though the MPs have not specified reason for declining the invite, it is understood the release of official secrets by accountability cell chairman Senator Saifur Rehman to BBC TV has forced the MPs to distance themselves from Pakistan. A BBC film had shown Rehman handing over documents to a BBC reporter in Islamabad.