"Today, I postponed my already scheduled official visit to the UAE, in view of the UAE government's on Sunday conferring of the highest civil award on Narendra Modi, who is subjecting the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir to worst brutalities", Sanjrani said in a video message on Sunday.
He insisted that his decision to put off the visit is aimed at giving a clear message that Pakistan and every member of the Senate is standing by the people of Pakistan in their solidarity with Kashmiri people who are facing worst Indian brutalities under strict restrictions and continued imposition of curfew for the last 21 days. "We are standing behind the Kashmir people and Pakistani nation and the armed forces will continue to fight for the Kashmir cause till the Kashmiri people get their just right of self-determination and freedom. Pakistan Zindabad...Kashmir Banega [to become] Pakistan", the chairman Senate concluded.
Sanjrani was scheduled to visit the UAE from August 25 to August 28 on the invitation of the UAE government and his delegation was to hold meetings with the UAE parliamentarians and government officials.
Despite calls from various quarters to scrap the idea, Modi was conferred with Order of Zayed, the UAE's highest civilian award, by Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Saturday. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told a press conference on Saturday that Pakistan enjoys good relations with the UAE. "This good relations do not bind the UAE not to have bilateral relations with any other third country", he said in response to a question when asked for comments on the UAE government's decision to confer the highest civil award on Indian premier Modi.