Hours after Pakistan announced cancellation of 19th SAARC Summit, India said that its South Asian neighbour has been compelled to recognise regional sentiment against terrorism.
"We note Pakistan's decision to postpone SAARC Summit. They've been compelled to recognise the regional sentiment against terrorism," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted yesterday late night.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office had announced that ‘the spirit of the SAARC Charter is violated when a member state casts the shadow of its bilateral problems on the multilateral forum for regional cooperation’.
“Pakistan attaches great importance to regional cooperation under the umbrella of SAARC and remains committed to hosting the 19th SAARC Summit at Islamabad at the earliest,” it said.
In the wake of September 18 cross-border terror attack on an Indian Army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 19 soldiers, India decided not to participate in the Summit, which was followed by the boycott of Afghanistan, Bhutan, and Bangaladesh. On Friday, Sri Lanka too expressed its reservations.
Meanwhile, Maldives urged for creation of an environment conducive for holding the now-cancelled 19th SAARC Summit.
In a statement, the Maldives Foreign Office said the appeal follows the decisions by some of the SAARC member states who have expressed their inability to attend the Summit scheduled for November due to terrorism, and threats to regional and international peace.
The Maldives condemns international terrorism, especially those originating from outside. It said the SAARC Summit can be convened only with the participation of Heads of State or Governments of all of its Member States.
