Pakistan postpones Saarc summit

The Pakistan Foreign Office alleged in a statement that decision by India to “derail the summit” effectively “contradicts” Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s own call to fight against poverty in the region. “India’s decision to abstain from the Summit on the basis of unfounded assumptions on the Uri incident is a futile effort to divert attention of the world from the atrocities” by India in Kashmir, the Foreign Office said. “Pakistan attaches great importance to regional cooperation under the umbrella of Saarc ... Therefore, Pakistan remains committed to hosting the 19th Saarc Summit at Islamabad at the earliest so that the objectives of regional cooperation under the Saarc umbrella can be pursued more vigorously,” it said. The Foreign Office said a new set of dates for holding of the summit in Islamabad will be announced soon, through Nepal, which is currently the Saarc Chair. “Accordingly, we have conveyed the same to the prime minister of Nepal,” it said.