New Delhi: In what is being called a big diplomatic snub to Pakistan, the 19th SAARC Summit, due to be held in Islamabad on November 9-10, stands cancelled. The official confirmation, however, is yet to come.
India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan – four of the eight members of the South Asian grouping ? have decided to pull out of the summit, citing incitement of terrorism in the region.
Nepal, the current Chair of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, has not made an official announcement of cancellation so far. However, reports claim that the summit has been cancelled and it will now take place next year.
Current SAARC Secretary General Arjun Bahadur Thapa, who is currently in New York and will return in two days, is expected to make the announcement soon.
Earlier, Pakistan did try to put a brave face saying it would go ahead and host the event in November. Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said that it was learnt from the Indian External Affairs Ministry’s tweet that India is not going to participate in the SAARC Summit, a decision he called “unfortunate”.
Also, Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said India is making a propaganda to foil the conference, according to Pakistan Today newspaper.
With half of the eight-nation regional bloc having decided to skip the event, the event is certain to be called off.