The 19th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit in Islamabad is all set to be cancelled after four out of the eight countries, including India, pulled out citing Pak-sponsored terrorism as the main reason.
This is the first time in the history of SAARC that four countries have decided to boycott the summit.
The Nepal Government after receiving the communication from India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan said it has taken this development “very seriously”. Clearly addressing Pakistan without directly naming it, Nepal asked for creating a conducive atmosphere for the Summit.
“As the current Chair of SAARC, the Government of Nepal strongly urges that a conducive atmosphere be created for the 19th SAARC Summit soon by ensuring the participation of all member States in line with the spirit of the SAARC Charter,” Nepal Government said in a statement.
The SAARC Chair Nepal is expected to make a formal announcement soon about the cancellation of the high-profile regional meeting of the Heads of States.
Forcing the cancellation of the SAARC Summit is one among many steps India has taken against Pakistan after the terror attack on an Uri military camp in which 18 soldiers were martyred. This is seen as a diplomatic victory for India which found strong support from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan in its efforts to isolate Pakistan for sponsoring cross-border terrorism and inciting violence in Jammu & Kashmir.
As per new SAARC rule, the Summit has to be shelved even if one country decides to skip the meeting.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said, “All eight Heads of SAARC countries must be present for the Summit. If any one country decides not to participate, the Summit has to be postponed. In the current case, not just India but Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan have also written to current Chair of SAARC, Nepal that they are unable to participate in the SAARC Summit, which means there is no option but to postpone it.”
Although the SAARC Charter requires the Heads of State or Government to meet once a year, in the last 31 years only 18 Summits have taken place. India, Nepal, Maldives, Sri lanka, Bangladesh have hosted the Summit three times each, Pakistan twice and Bhutan once.
Adviser to Pakistani Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, on Wednesday said chances are that the SAARC Summit will be postponed though the SAARC Secretariat has not yet officially announced it. He, however, insisted that whenever the summit takes place, it will be in Pakistan and accused India of forcing postponement four times in the past too.
India, on Tuesday, announced its decision to pull out of the summit citing cross-border terror attacks and interference in the internal matters of SAARC member States by “one country” (Pakistan) as the reason. Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Bhutan too cited the same reasons as they conveyed their decisions to Nepal about not attending the meeting. Both Bangladesh and Afghanistan had highlighted Pak-sponsored terrorism at the United Nations General Assembly also and sought action against it.
In fact, both the countries boycotted several of the SAARC meetings in Islamabad this year while India attended all. In its repeated attempts to normalize relations with Pakistan, India had also sent Home Minister Rajnath Singh to Islamabad for the Interior Ministers’ meeting in August, while in March External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met her counterpart Sartaj Aziz at the SAARC ministerial meeting in Nepal.
However, as cross-border terrorism increased and Pakistan started openly instigating violence in J&K, the Indian Government toughened its stand. India easily found strong support from Afghanistan and Bangladesh - both victims of Pak-sponsored terrorism. With terrorism in the region directly or indirectly affecting the SAARC countries, there was a growing call to isolate Pakistan, which is already out of the SAARC connectivity and space programmes.
In its letter to SAARC Chair, Bangladesh indirectly accused Pakistan’s growing interference in its internal matters. In the past too, Bangladesh has accused Pakistan of indulging in terror activities in its country and funding terrorists groups.
“The growing interference in the internal affairs of Bangladesh by one country has created an environment which is not conducive to the successful hosting of the19th SAARC Summit in Islamabad in November 2016. Bangladesh, as the initiator of the SAARC process, remains steadfast in its commitment to regional cooperation, connectivity and contacts but believes that these can only go forward in a more congenial atmosphere. In view of the above, Bangladesh is unable to participate in the proposed summit in Islamabad,” Bangladesh said in its letter to Nepal.
Bhutan cited recent escalation of terrorism and the deterioration of peace in the region as the reason for boycotting the meet. “The concern of the Royal Government of Bhutan on the recent escalation of terrorism in the region, which has seriously compromised the environment for the successful holding of the 19th SAARC Summit in Islamabad in November 2016. Further, the Royal Government of Bhutan shares the concerns of some of the member countries of SAARC on the deterioration of regional peace and security due to terrorism and joins them in conveying our inability to participate in the SAARC Summit, under the current circumstances,” Bhutan Government told Nepal.
In its communication, Afghanistan said, “Due to increased level of violence and fighting as a result of imposed terrorism on Afghanistan, the President of Afghanistan Mohammad Ashraf Ghani with his responsibilities as the Commander-in-Chief will be fully engaged, and will not be able to attend the summit.”