ISLAMABAD: Indian delegates faced embarrassment at the 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference being held in Cape Town, South Africa, when they tried to interrupt the speech of National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, who had tactfully raised the issue of water terrorism without naming any country.
According to reports from the venue, Mr Sadiq was addressing the conference on climate adaptation and climate justice when Indian delegates made repeated attempts to disrupthisspeech.
During the NA speaker’s address, the Indian delegates were seen repeatedly trying to get hold of the microphone to interruptthe proceedings.
The Indian delegates’ scramble for the micro-phone affected the atmosphere of the session, prompting direct interventionbythehostandtheSpeaker of Jamaica who asked them to either remain silent or leave the hall.
The ridiculous behaviour of the Indian delegates made them a laughing stock in the conference hall.
Other participants advised the Indian delegates to listen to Speaker Sadiq’s speech with patience. Despite the situation created during the address, the discussion on climate adaptation and climate justice continued.
In his address, without naming any country or delegation, Speaker Sadiq presented a principled stance on tackling climate change and stressed the responsibilities of the international community.
He raised issues such as the sudden surge of water in rivers and thestoppage of water, without naming any country.
Speaker Sadiq said climate adaptation policies should be formulated with effective public participation, adding that oversight by democratic institutions is indispensable in policies to deal with climate change.
He noted that Pakistan was among the countries most affected by climate change. Tackling climate change, he said, requires climate justice and inclusion of democratic institutions, adding that parliamentary dialogue on global challenges like climate change should be serious, purposeful and constructive.
He said the role of parliaments was important for practical implementation of climate policies, and that international climate finance should come under parliamentary oversight.