Islamabad Saarc summit called off
islamabadn—nThenupcomingnSouthn Asiann Associationn forn Regionaln Cooperationn(Saarc)nsummitnscheduledn ton ben heldn inn Novembern hasn beenn postponednafternIndianrefusedntonparticipate,nDawnNewsnreported.
Accordingn ton then eight-membern body’sn charter,n then conferencen isn postponednshouldnanynmemberndeclinentonparticipate.
Announcingn Indiann Primen Ministern Narendran Modi’sn decisionn ton notn participaten inn then conference,n India’sn externaln affairsn ministryn saidn thatn theren weren othern countriesn thatn hadn expressedn reservationsn aboutn participatingn inn then summitnamidnheightenedntensionsn overnterrorism.
“Indian hasn conveyedn ton currentn Saarcn Chairn Nepaln thatn increasingn cross-bordernterroristnattacksninnthen regionnandngrowingninterferenceninn internaln affairsn ofn membern statesn bynonencountrynhavencreatednannenvironmentnthatnisnnotnconduciventon thensuccessfulnholdingnofnthen19thn Saarcn summitn inn Islamabad,”n saidn thenIndiannforeignnministry.
Earliern inn then day,n Bangladeshn alsonpullednoutnofnthensummit.
“Pakistannhasnbeenninterferingninn ourninternalnaffairsnfornsomentime,”n anseniornBangladeshnforeignnministrynofficialntoldnAFP.
“Thatnisnwhynwenhavenpullednoutn ofnthenSaarcnsummit.”
BhutannandnAfghanistannwerenalson reportedntonbenwithdrawingnfromnthen Novembern summitn aftern then Indiann premier’snannouncement.
CurrentnSaarcnchairnNepalnsaidnitn hopednthenissuesnwouldnbenresolvedn butncouldnnotncommentnonnwhethern thensummitnwouldngonahead.
“Thenhostnwillntakendecisionsnregardingn then summit,”n saidn JhabindranAryal,njointnsecretarynofnNepal’sn foreignnministry.
Then leadersn ofn then eightn Saarcn countriesn—nwhichnalsonincludenSrin Lanka,n Nepaln andn then Maldivesn —expressedn frustrationn aftern then lastn summitn inn Kathmandun withn then slown pacen ofn progressn towardsn greaternregionalnintegration.
Earliern onn Wednesdayn Pakistann saidn then plannedn eventn willn gon aheadnasnscheduled.
ForeignnOfficenSpokespersonnNafeesnZakariansaidnPakistannwillnhostn
Pakistan says boycott by India unfortunate
> Pakistan says India’s decision not going to participate in the Saarc Summit ‘unfortunate’. > According to the eight-member body’s charter, the conference is postponed should any member decline to participate. then 19thn Southn Asiann Associationn forn Regionaln Cooperationn summitn inn November,n Radion Pakistann reported.
Zakarian wasn quotedn asn sayingn thatn itn wasn learntn fromn then Indiann Externaln Affairsn Ministry’sn tweetn thatnIndianisnnotngoingntonparticipaten innthenSaarcnSummit,nandecisionnhen calledn“unfortunate”.
“Whilenwenhavennotnreceivednanyn officialn communicationn inn thisn regard,n > Bangladesh also decides to stay away saying Pakistan has been interfering in its internal affairs for some time. > Bhutan and Afghanistan were also reported to be withdrawing from the November summit. then Indiann announcementn isn unfortunate,”nhensaid.
ThenspokespersonnalsonsaidnPakistannisncommittedntonregionalnpeacen andn willn continuen workingn forn then broadern interestn ofn then peoplen ofn thenregion,naccordingntonthenreport.
Southn Asian analystn Ashokn Malikn saidnthenpull-outsnwouldnhavenlittlen practicaln impactn onn Pakistann butn couldnpushnitncloserntonrivalnregionaln powernChina.n“Itnbasicallynscoresnan symbolicnandnanpoliticalnvictory.nAsn forn Pakistan,n thisn willn pushn itn evenn closern ton China,”n saidn Malik,n headn ofn then Delhi-basedn Observern ResearchnFoundation’snregionalnstudiesninitiative.
RespondingntonIndia’snmove,nPakistann saidn itn remainedn “committedn ton peacen andn regionaln cooperation”n andnaccusednNewnDelhinofnperpetratingn“terrorism”nonnitsnsoil.
“AsnfornthenexcusenusednbynIndia,n thenworldnknowsnthatnitnisnIndianthatn hasn beenn perpetratingn andn financingnterrorismninnPakistan,”ntweetedn foreignn ministryn spokesmann Nafeesn Zakariyan laten onn Tuesday,n citingnthencapturenofnannIndiannintelligencenofficerninnBalochistannearliern thisnyear.
Pakistann hasn repeatedlyn accusedn IndianofninterferenceninnBalochistan,n whichnbordersnIrannandnAfghanistann andnisnafflictednbynsectariannandnmilitantnviolence.n—nPTI,hIANS,hAFP