Since the 2014 SAARC summit held at Kathmandu the upcoming, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit of this year will be held in Pakistan. Pakistan sent its invitation on Monday to all member-states for the 19th SAARC summit while calling upon India to join virtually if it didn’t want to attend the summit.
India shows reluctance on the SAARC invitation by Pakistan
Pakistan and India remain cold on their respective ends. Ever since the URI terror attack in 2016 that terrorists carried out from across the LOC, The biennial SAARC summit process has remained at a halt. But this year summit will be held in Pakistan, and invitations to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation members, namely, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, has been given.
Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi addressed the situation at a press conference and stated, “I reiterate the invitation for the 19th SAARC summit. If India is not ready to come to Islamabad, it can join virtually but it should not stop others from attending.”
Although, according to an agency report from Islamabad, Pakistan’s foreign minister went far with the accusation of India for its “stubbornness” by refusing to come to Islamabad for the summit and making SAARC dysfunctional. He further addressed the matter and quoted.
Unfortunately, ties with India in 2021 were frozen. In our view, the potential of regional cooperation has been hit by aggressive Hindutva behavior in recent years,” he said, also adding that peace with India won’t be possible till the Kashmir issue was resolved.
Afghanistan’s response to the summit
In addition to India’s reluctance to meet with the Taliban government in Afghanistan, this summit has more problems to face.
The regular SAARC foreign ministers meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly last year couldn’t be held after Pakistan insisted on the Taliban representing Afghanistan. Afghanistan’s response will have all the eyes and attention upon this summit.
