Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday accused India of harming the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) by seeking postponement of the Islamabad Summit that was scheduled to be held in November 2016.
According to a report in The Nation, the Pakistani Prime also alleged that India violated the SAARC chapter by invoking bilateral issues and problems on a multilateral forum.
“India caused harm to the SAARC by seeking postponement of the grouping’s summit in Islamabad last year. This was not the first time that India harmed the forum as it had done so on four occasions,”Nawaz Sharif said while addressing a joint news conference with Maldives President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom in Male.
“India undermined and violated the spirit of the SAARC charter by casting shadows of bilateral issues and problems on a multilateral forum for regional cooperation,” he added.
Nawaz Sharif, however, expressed gratitude to the Maldives President for extending support to Pakistan for hosting Islamabad Summit.
Both Nawaz Sharif and Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom agreed to work together to make SAARC a “vibrant organisation”.
The Islamabad Summit was postponed last year after four member states - India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan - decided to skip the meeting over concerns related to cross-border terrorism and interference in their internal affairs by Pakistan.
Nawaz Sharif is presently on a three-day official visit to Maldives and he will be the chief guest at the 52nd Independence Day celebrations of the country today.
