Malaysia-India ties not affected by proposed boycott campaign: Foreign minister

Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah a proposed boycott of Malaysia over the social media Twitter platform did not jeopardise the country’s position in the international arena. — Picture by Mukhriz Hazim. Sketched by the Pan Pacific Agency.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8, 2019, Bernama. A proposed boycott of Malaysia by Indian netizens over the social media Twitter platform did not jeopardise the country’s position in the international arena as well as its bilateral relations with India, the Dewan Rakyat was told today, reported the Malay Mail.

Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said the calls for the boycott in response to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s remark at the United Nations recently on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir have declined.

“We have conducted an analysis and I am convinced the (calls for the) boycott have declined and are no longer there today,” he said during the Ministers’ Question Time in the house.

Saifuddin was replying to a question from Ahmad Fahmi Mohamed Fadzil (PH-Lembah Pantai) who wanted to know Malaysia’s stand on the proposed #BoycottMalaysia campaign.

Dr Mahathir’s remark on the Jammu and Kashmir conflict between India and Pakistan drew much response from Indian netizens on Twitter and led to them to proposing the boycott. The prime minister had called on the two countries to work together to resolve the conflict.

Replying to a supplementary question, from Ahmad Amzad Mohamed @ Hashim (PAS-Kuala Terengganu), Saifuddin said Malaysia monitors the situation in Jammu and Kashmir closely and expresses its concerns to the relevant leaders.

“In certain cases, we can express ourselves forcefully and clearly but there are times when we have to tread delicately, especially now. So, there are things that we can do and cannot do,” he said.

In the case of Kashmir, he said it is a place with which Malaysia has formally no direct access except by communicating with the two sides (India and Pakistan) to prevent matters from getting more serious.

To another question, Saifuddin suggested that MPs form a special caucus to offer suggestions on improving how the United Nations deals with human rights issues.

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