With heightening tension between India and Pakistan, the NDA government has kept the suspense alive over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Islamabad visit to attend the SAARC summit in November.
Speculations earlier suggested that Modi will not attend the SAARC summit following the terror attack in URi that left 18 Indian soldiers dead.
However, India not staying away from the SAARC foreign ministers’ meet in New York on Tuesday sends out mixed signals about whether Modi will attend the group’s summit in November.
The SAARC meet was held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting where political leadership of both India and Pakistan came together for the first time since the attack.
It was attended by Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar who slammed Pakistan for sponsoring terrorism from across the border that continues to harm India and destabilise the region.
The minister sought the support of the grouping in addressing the threat of terrorism.
Registering a diplomatic win, India has got the backing of 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.
MEA Vikas Swarup yesterday skipped a direct answer to a query regarding Modi's participation in SAARC summit.
Responding to a question by media over PM's visit, Swarup said, “Every question does not have a yes or no answer."
