Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is currently in the Maldives to attend the Independence Day celebrations, slammed neighbouring India as he blamed the South Asian giant for the cancellation of the SAARC Summit that was to be hosted in Islamabad last November.
Speaking at the President’s Office on Tuesday after concluding official talks between the Maldives and Pakistan, PM Nawaz proclaimed that India’s actions are in violation of the SAARC charter. Holding India responsible for the 19th SAARC Summit in Pakistan that was called off when India and some other member states pulled out, PM Nawaz proclaimed that India had pulled off such actions four times in the past.
PM Nawaz’s censure of India comes at a time when diplomatic relations between India and the Maldives are tenuous.
In his address, PM Nawaz acknowledged President Abdulla Yameen’s support for Pakistan to host the SAARC Summit last year and thanked the president.
The prime minister also stated that he has discussed with President Yameen the atrocities committed by the Indian army in Kashmir.
India had boycotted the SAARC Summit in Islamabad last year amidst high tensions between India and Pakistan over the conflict in Kashmir, claiming that Pakistan had failed to provide a safe environment for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to cross borders to attend the summit amidst cross-border fighting. India was soon followed by Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan.
The Maldives at the time had refused to take sides and instead urged fellow South Asian nations to create an environment conducive for holding the regional sit-down.
SAARC regulations stipulate that summits will be automatically cancelled or postponed in the absence of any member states.
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