IndoPak tensions block appointment of new secretary general of Saarc

KATHMANDU : The appointment of the new Saarc secretary general has run into problems because of India-Pakistan tensions, with Islamabad’s candidate yet to be approved by the grouping.

Pakistan had proposed Amjad Hussain Sial for the post of secretary general during a meeting of the Council of Ministers at Pokhara in March last year. It was Pakistan’s turn to get the post, which is held by rotation.

After Sial’s name was proposed, it was expected he would be approved by member states at the Saarc Summit that was to be held in Islamabad last year. However, the summit fell through because of the IndiaPakistan tensions.

The incumbent secretary general, Nepal’s Arjun Bahadur Thapa, will complete his tenure at the end of February. The Saarc Secretariat recently circulated a note to the grouping’s eight members, seeking their approval for Sial’s appointment.

In its response, the external affairs ministry asked the Saarc Secretariat to follow the process laid down in the charter for appointing the secretary general. India made it clear the appointment should be endorsed by the Council of Ministers and that it cannot be done through a diplomatic note, sources said.

According to the Saarc process, a rejection by even one member state means an appointment cannot go ahead. The Indian response, accessed by HT, drew attention “towards Article V of the MoU on the establishment of Saarc Secretariat that specifies the requirement of appointment by the Council of Ministers for the secretary general”. The appointment of Sial is likely to be on hold for an indefinite period.

PAKISTAN HAD PROPOSED AMJAD HUSSAIN SIAL FOR THE POST OF SECRETARY GENERAL DURING A MEETING AT POKHARA IN MARCH LAST YEAR