Pakistan’s Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq will not attend the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC), scheduled to be held in New Delhi this week, according to two senior officials familiar with the matter. In another significant decision reflecting the prevailing diplomatic climate, Pakistan’s national flag will also not be displayed anywhere at the venue during the three-day conference, the officials said, requesting anonymity.

The high-profile parliamentary gathering will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 15, 2026, in the historic Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan at the Parliament House Complex. The conference is expected to bring together presiding officers from across the Commonwealth to deliberate on parliamentary practices, democratic institutions, and cooperation among legislatures.

Alongside Pakistan, Bangladesh will also not be represented at the conference. Officials said this is due to the absence of a Speaker in the Jatiya Sangsad, Bangladesh’s national parliament, which was dissolved on August 6, 2024, following the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina-led government. With no presiding officer currently in place, Bangladesh will remain unrepresented at the CSPOC meeting.

Senior parliamentary officials clarified that the process of inviting participants followed established protocol. A “general intimation” and a “common invitation” were circulated to all 56 Commonwealth countries through the CSPOC secretariat. “We did not follow up with Pakistan if they are coming or not,” a senior Lok Sabha official said, indicating that no special outreach was made beyond the standard invitation process.

The decision not to display Pakistan’s flag at the conference venue underscores the sharp downturn in India-Pakistan relations over the past year. Ties between the two countries have been severely strained since the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 last year, in which 25 tourists and a pony operator were killed. India has held Pakistan-based terror groups responsible for the attack and has since adopted a policy of near-total disengagement with its western neighbour.

In the immediate aftermath of the attack, India launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7, targeting what it described as terror infrastructure and military installations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The operation marked a significant escalation, followed by a brief period of retaliatory strikes from both sides before a ceasefire was declared on May 10.

Following the Pahalgam attack, New Delhi also took a series of far-reaching diplomatic and economic measures against Islamabad. India terminated the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, a landmark water-sharing agreement that had survived wars and prolonged periods of hostility between the two countries. Announcing the decision, Prime Minister Modi declared that “water and blood can’t flow together,” signalling a fundamental shift in India’s approach to bilateral engagement.

India further closed the Attari land border, revoked visas issued to Pakistani nationals, and imposed a complete ban on Pakistani artists, effectively ending cultural exchanges that had continued even during earlier phases of strained relations. These measures were presented by the government as necessary steps to protect national security and convey zero tolerance for terrorism.

The chill in bilateral ties has also spilled over into the sporting arena. The Indian cricket team has consistently refused to shake hands with Pakistani players during international fixtures following the Pahalgam attack. In a move that drew widespread attention, India also declined to accept its Asia Cup trophy from Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). The gesture was widely interpreted as a symbolic extension of India’s broader diplomatic stance.

Against this backdrop, Pakistan’s absence from the CSPOC meeting and the decision not to display its flag are seen by officials as consistent with India’s current policy posture. While the CSPOC is a multilateral parliamentary forum rather than a bilateral diplomatic event, the optics of participation and symbolism remain politically sensitive.

Despite the absence of Pakistan and Bangladesh, the conference is expected to see robust participation from the rest of the Commonwealth. An official communiqué from the Lok Sabha Speaker’s office stated that Speakers and Presiding Officers from 59 Commonwealth countries and autonomous parliaments have confirmed their participation.

“Of the 61 Speakers and Presiding Officers who have confirmed their participation, 44 are Speakers and 15 are Deputy Speakers. Of the 44 Speakers, 41 Speakers are from CSPOC countries and four from Autonomous Parliaments,” the statement said. In addition, India’s Lok Sabha Speaker and the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha will attend the event.

The CSPOC conference serves as an important platform for parliamentary leaders to exchange views on legislative best practices, democratic resilience, use of technology in legislatures, and the role of parliaments in upholding accountability and transparency. Hosting the event in New Delhi is being seen by Indian officials as an opportunity to showcase India’s parliamentary traditions and its role as a leading democracy within the Commonwealth.

The choice of the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan as the venue for the inauguration adds symbolic weight to the event. The Central Hall has been the site of several historic moments in India’s parliamentary history and is closely associated with the country’s constitutional journey.

Officials said that security arrangements have been tightened given the scale of the event and the presence of high-ranking dignitaries from across the Commonwealth. Diplomatic engagements and bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the conference are also expected, offering India an opportunity to strengthen ties with parliamentary leaders from Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific, and other regions.

While the CSPOC meeting is formally focused on parliamentary cooperation, the absence of Pakistan is likely to be read as another indicator of how deeply geopolitical tensions now shape multilateral interactions in South Asia. For India, the message appears clear: engagement with Pakistan, even in multilateral settings, will remain limited as long as concerns over terrorism and security persist.

As Prime Minister Modi prepares to inaugurate the conference, the event is poised to highlight both India’s active role in the Commonwealth and the evolving contours of its foreign and parliamentary diplomacy in a region marked by enduring tensions and shifting alliances.