SAARC  SUMMIT MEETING

India’s refusal coupled with influencing Bangla Desh, Bhutan and Afghanistan also to not attend the ensuing SAARC Summit meeting in Pakistan on the pretext of the atmosphere being not very conducive for the meeting due to the  “increasing cross-border terrorist attacks in the region” is sheer nonsense and  tantamount to sabotaging the meeting. India is afraid that Pakistan could raise the question of the atrocities committed in Kashmir which would be quite embarrassing for her.  I think Pakistan should not be unduly worried about the cancellation of the meeting and instead take it to be a God riddance as it would save Pakistan couple of millions that would have cost her to arrange the meeting. At the same time Pakistan must make it clear to the SAARC Secretariat that she would not attend the next meeting if Kashmir was not on its agenda.  The SAARC quorum is considered incomplete if even a single member doesn’t attend and in the c! ase of Pakistan’s refusal to attend the meeting SAARC would not be able to hold its future meetings.  If India can do it why can’t we also?  We have had enough of this policy of appeasement and it was high time that we took a solid position and made that known to the SAARC countries as well.  

Col. Riaz Jafri (Retd)