E-Paper
India maintains silence over Modi attending SAARC summit in Islamabad
The NDA government has kept the suspense alive whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Islamabad to attend the SAARC summit in November. India not staying away from the SAARC foreign ministers’ meet at New York on Tuesday sends out mixed signals about whether Modi will attend the group’s summit in November
The NDA government has kept the suspense alive whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Islamabad to attend the SAARC summit in November.
India not staying away from the SAARC foreign ministers’ meet at New York on Tuesday sends out mixed signals about whether Modi will attend the group’s summit in November.
The suspense comes amid the rising tension between the two nations following the terrorist attack in Uri in which 18 Indian soldiers were killed.
India raised the attack at the South Asian (SAARC) foreign ministers’ meet in a bid to put pressure on Pakistan for using its territory for terrorist activities against India in the presence of its immediate neighbours.
Read: Uri attack leaves Modi little choice but to have a real Pakistan policy
The meeting on Tuesday in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting, had the political leadership of both India and Pakistan coming together for the first time since the attack.
Minister of state for external affairs MJ Akbar stressed how terrorism from across the border continued to harm India and destabilise the region at the meeting. The minister sought the support of the grouping in addressing the threat of terrorism.
According to officials, Pakistan didn’t respond to the Indian minister’s statement, but all the other ministers who attended the meeting offered India condolences.
Read: Pak sends junior officials to Saarc meeting in Delhi, tries to snub India
Meanwhile, India has been getting a great deal of support from two fellow SAARC countries—Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
What also helps India is the fact that Pakistan’s ties with both Afghanistan and Bangladesh are on a downward spiral.
However, India has kept the suspense on whether Modi will attend the summit of the SAARC grouping.
