Jaishankar: Saarc must deal with cross- border terrorism
External affairs minister Dr S. Jaishankar on Thursday mentioned cross- border terrorism, blocking of connectivity and obstruction in the trade as three main challenges before the Saarc grouping during an informal meeting of the Saarc Council of Ministers.
Without naming Pakistan, Mr Jaishankar, in his address, called upon members for a collectively resolve to defeat the scourge of terrorism, “including the forces that nurture, support and encourage an environment of terror and conflict, which impede the objective of Saarc to realize its full potential for collective collaboration and prosperity across
South Asia.”
Pakistan on Thursday had raised the issue of Kashmir at another meeting of 27 foreign ministers at Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, though it refrained from raising this matter at the Saarc.
“It is very typical of Pakistan to use such fora to raise bilateral and contentious issues which is inconsistent with the principles and charter of such organizations and their meetings. What else can be expected of a country that indulges in cross- border terrorism,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Mr Anurag Srivastava said.
The Saarc meeting, chaired by Nepal, was held in virtual mode and saw the participation of all Saarc member states. One of the agenda items in the Saarc ministerial meeting was the 19th Saarc Summit, which was to be hosted by Pakistan. However, since most countries felt that it was not an opportune time for the event considering that member states are preoccupied in dealing with Covid situation, the proposal fell through due to lack of consensus.
“The meeting reviewed regional efforts to combat the Covid. In particular, participants appreciated the leadership of the Prime Minister of India in convening a video conference of Saarc Leaders on 15th March 2020 to take collaborative measures towards combating the pandemic across the region,” a statement from the ministry of external affairs said.