AMN
Pakistan today said it has postponed the 19th SAARC Summit after India and four other countries announced their decision to boycott the Summit which was to be held on November 9th and 10th. In a press release, the Office of Pakistan Foreign Ministry said a new set of dates for holding the summit at Islamabad will be announced soon by Nepal, the Chair of SAARC.
In a synchronized effort, India and three other countries Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan had informed the SAARC Secretariat on Tuesday that their leaders will not attend the Summit in Islamabad. Today, Sri Lanka also expressed its unwillingness to attend the Summit.
The move by the five countries means the Summit cannot go ahead as the SAARC charter states all decisions must be made unanimously. The absence of even one member-state leads to the automatic postponement or cancellation of a Summit.