English
New York: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Thursday blamed India for “blocking the progress of SAARC” saying the latter’s stand is “defying the spirit of SAARC”. Speaking on the sidelines of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Qureshi said, “If we want to gain something from this forum, we have to move forward. What’s the way to do that? I have no hesitation to say that the attitude of one country is blocking the progress of SAARC, connectivity and prosperity of this region and defying the spirit of SAARC.”
Later, speaking to the media after delivering his speech at UNGA, Qureshi blamed India for avoiding a dialogue with Pakistan at the SAARC. On Thursday, after delivering her speech, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj left the venue without waiting for the Pakistan Foreign Minister to begin his speech. “She left midway. Maybe she wasn’t feeling well. I listened to her statement. She talked of regional cooperation. How is regional cooperation possible, when everybody is ready to sit and talk and you are blocking that?” he said.
Reacting to the allegations of avoiding Pakistan at the SAARC meet, MEA sources said the accusations are “baseless and away from the reality”. “Allegations by Pakistani Foreign Min regarding India not being serious about SAARC are baseless and away from reality. EAM in her speech had extensively dealt with various SAARC related projects and expressed India’s commitment to making SAARC a success as regional grouping,” a source said.
Remarks by Pakistani Foreign Minister about EAM leaving SAARC Foreign Minister’s informal meeting were surprising and unfortunate. It should be noted that she was neither the first one nor the only one who left the meeting: Sources
— ANI (@ANI) September 28, 2018
“Remarks by Pakistani Foreign Minister about EAM leaving SAARC Foreign Minister’s informal meeting were surprising and unfortunate. It should be noted that she was neither the first one nor the only one who left the meeting,” he said, adding, the Foreign Ministers of Bangladesh and Afghanistan too had left the meeting before the EAM which, the source said, was a standard practice in multilateral engagements.
“Foreign Min of Afghanistan&Bangladesh left the meeting before EAM. Also, leaving a meeting after delivering own speech is a standard practice in multilateral engagements. EAM left as she had another meeting lined up with Indian community groups&other bilateral engagements. However, concerns about terrorism and challenges it poses before the development of south Asia cannot be brushed aside,” he added, news agency ANI reported.
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