NEW DELHI/KATHMANDU: India’s efforts to isolate Pakistan on the issue of terrorism got a boost on Wednesday with Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan also deciding to skip the Saarc Summit in Islamabad in November, setting the stage for the postponement of the meet.
India and the three other countries informed the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation’s (Saarc) secretariat on Tuesday that their leaders would be unable to attend the summit for almost similar reasons.
The move means the summit cannot go ahead as the Saarc Charter says all decisions must be made by unanimity. The absence of even one member state leads to the automatic postponement or cancellation of a summit, said Nepal’s former foreign secretary Madhuraman Acharya.
Bangladesh conveyed its decision to current Saarc chair Nepal in a letter that said, “The interference in the internal affairs of Bangladesh by one country has created an environment which is not conducive for the successful hosting of the 19th Saarc Summit.”
Afghanistan, in its communication, said, “Due to increased level of violence and fighting as a result of imposed terrorism on Afghanistan, (President) Ashraf Ghani with his responsibilities as the commander-in-chief will be fully engaged, and will not be able to attend the summit.”
Bhutan referred to the “recent escalation of terrorism in the region” and said this has “seriously compromised the environment for the successful holding” of the summit.
{{/usCountry}}Bhutan referred to the “recent escalation of terrorism in the region” and said this has “seriously compromised the environment for the successful holding” of the summit.
{{/usCountry}}Nepal’s acting foreign secretary Jhabindra Aryal told HT that his ministry had received letters from the four member states about their inability to attend the summit. A senior official said Nepal, as the Saarc chair, does not want the summit to be cancelled and instead wants member states to find a remedy to the tensions. “It is also the responsibility of Pakistan to reach out to the member states,” said the official on condition of anonymity.
If Pakistan formally announces the cancellation of the summit, the next meet will be held in Sri Lanka according to precedent and Saarc tradition, sources said.
New Delhi will also seek help from other members of the BIMSTEC grouping on terror.
“It is important to focus on pushing trade in the region as this will hugely benefit all the countries involved,” said Naushad Forbes, president, Confederation of Indian Industry.