Pakistan: Pakistan ready to host SAARC summit if ‘artificial obstacles’ removed

ISLAMABAD, 23 December 2021, (TON): Pakistan said “it was ready to host the long-delayed summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) when what it said “artificial obstacles” in its way were removed.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to host the SAARC leaders during the meeting with the group’s secretary general Esala Ruwan Weerakoon, who is currently on a visit to Islamabad.

Pakistan was supposed to host the summit in 2016 but India boycotted the gathering of SAARC leaders and also persuaded some other member states to do the same. Under the SAARC charter, the summit cannot take place if any of the member countries stays out.

Since then India consistently has been staying away from the summit thus delaying the gathering of leaders of eight nations of South Asia.

However, it is unlikely the organisation will realise its full potential in the foreseeable future given the deep divisions between Pakistan and India and also new alignments in the region.

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