India and Pakistan once again were at face to face at South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the 27-nation Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA). In an meeting foreign ministers, India’s External Affairs Ministers S Jaishankar on Thursday accused Pakistan of cross-border terrorism, blocking connectivity and obstruction of trade.
Jaishankar, in his comments on the virtual meeting, said, “Cross-border terrorism, blocking connectivity and obstructing trade are three key challenges that SAARC must overcome. Only then will we see enduring peace, prosperity and security in our South Asia region.”
He in an indirect statement said that Pakistan’s continuous mockery has become a spoiler in the regional cooperation.
In his address, Jaishankar called on 8-nation organisation to “collectively resolve to defeat the scourge of terrorism, including the forces that nurture, support and encourage an environment of terror and conflict, which impede the objective of SAARC to realise its full potential for collective collaboration and prosperity across South Asia”, without a direct reference to Pakistan.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who also attended the meet, made a long statement on “long-standing disputes” in a veiled reference to Jammu and Kashmir and Indian Government’s move to scrap Article 370.
Qureshi said, “We must condemn, oppose any unilateral and illegal measures to change the status of disputed territories in violation of the UN Security Council Resolutions”
India, in a reply, said that Pakistan is known for using multilateral platforms of SAARC and CICA “to raise bilateral and contentious issues”.
At CICA, the Ministry of External A in its right of reply said: “Pakistan has misused another forum by continuing its spurious narrative about India” and “The Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have been and will remain an integral part of India. Pakistan has no locus standi to comment on India’s internal affairs.”
The meeting, chaired by Nepal, was held in virtual mode and attended by all SAARC member states including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Afghanistan, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.