Boycott 'drama' won't work: India to Pakistan over SAARC Meet

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Boycott 'drama' won't work: India to Pakistan over SAARC Meet
Boycott 'drama' won't work: India to Pakistan over SAARC Meet

New Delhi : Tension between India and Pakistan are getting bitter with every passing day; in a latest Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi boycotted S Jaishankar’s opening statement at the SAARC Council meet. He did not turn up for S Jaishankar’s statement and keep the other ministers waiting without any prior notificaiton.

His arrival was seen only after S Jaishankar left the meeting venue.

Speaking about the incident, Qureshi said that his country will not indulge in any kind of talks with India until it removes the “siege” in Kashmir.  “Do you think I will sit down with the butcher of Kashmir?” the Pak Minister reportedly asked.

Reacting sharply to it, an Indian official said that such dramas won't work for Pakistan. “They have to create a conducive atmosphere for the SAARC process to go ahead”, a leading portal quoted the official as saying.

Last month, Pakistan had degraded diplomatic ties with India after Narendra Modi government revoked Article 370 of the Indian constitution from Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into a Union Territory by separating Ladakh from it.

Meanwhile, Jaishankar at the Foreign Ministers meeting, reiterated India’s stand against terrorism and also highlighted India’s contributions to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

“Ours is really not just a story of missed opportunities but also of deliberate obstacles. Terrorism is among them. In our view, elimination of terrorism in all its forms is a precondition not only for fruitful cooperation but also for the very survival of our region itself,” Jaishankar said.