SAARC summit: Islamabad suggests virtual participation by India

Islamabad, Jan 3: Pakistan has said that India can join the 19th SAARC summit virtually if Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot come to Islamabad to attend the summit.
“Pakistan considers SAARC as an important forum. We are willing to host the 19th SAARC summit and if India has any issue in attending the summit in person then it can attend the moot virtually,” Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told a news conference on Monday.
Islamabad was scheduled to host the SAARC summit in November 2016, but India boycotted the conference because of tensions between the two countries.
Since then the summit could not take place, as per the SAARC charter meeting of the heads of governments cannot be held if any of the members refuses to participate.
The SAARC Secretary-General Esala Weerakoon had last month visited Islamabad and Pakistan expressed its readiness to host the summit during his visit, said Qureshi, tribune.pk reported.
“If India cannot attend the summit in Islamabad at least it should not stop other members,” Qureshi said extending an invitation to all members for the next summit.
Qureshi claimed that because of “Indian obduracy” the SAARC failed to realize its true potential.