In the lieu of the events happening between India and Pakistan, it seems quite necessary to build a diplomatic pressure on Pakistan to stop those terror factories operating from their boundaries which are a harm for not only India but to the whole world. Therefore on Tuesday, authorities decided to step up diplomacy pressure on Pakistan and therefore, due to the prevailing circumstances, Indian Government would be unable to participate in the SAARC Summit to be held in the month of November in Pakistan’s Islamabad. Along with the decision of canceling Indian participation in the summit, there were also discussions for reviewing the MFN (Most Favoured Nation) status of Pakistan following the Uri attack.
According to the press release of the Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday,” India has conveyed to current SAARC chair Nepal that increasing cross-border terrorist attacks in the region and growing interference in the internal affairs of Member States by one country have created an environment that is not conducive to the successful holding of the 19th SAARC summit in Islamabad in November 2016. In the prevailing circumstances, the Government of India is unable to participate in the proposed Summit in Islamabad.” There are also reports that Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Bhutan could also stay away from the Islamabad summit.
Experts are calling it a typical move due to the terrorist attacks of some Pakistan-based terror groups. It is the first time that India has moved forward with such unprecedented decision and has canceled its participation in any of the regional group’s summit meeting. It is to be noted that this is the second of its kind cross-border strike in nine months after the January 2 Pathankot airbase strike. And after that attack also, India earlier accepted Pakistan’s invitation to the summit in March during a ministerial meeting held in Kathmandu.
According to experts like Sheel Kant Sharma, former Secretary General of SAARC (2007-20’11), “It is not possible to run economic integration in South Asia without the two biggest economies working together. It is sad if SAARC is euthanized.”
The Uri attack is under investigation and an NIA official said the terrorists were given arms training for a month at a camp run by Jaish-e-Mohammed in PoK. “During their interrogation, they have disclosed that they were tasked by the JeM commanders to facilitate infiltration of a group of four JeM cadres who carried out the Uri Army camp attack.”
On September 23rd, security forces also arrested one Pakistani national named Abdul Qayoom. On interrogation, he confessed that Lashkar-e-Taiba trained him for 3 weeks, before infiltrating in the border of India. Due to his statement, Indian authorities have strongly urged the Government of Pakistan to take serious action and prevent the use of their territory against Indian interest.
Also, there has been an increasing wide demand among the Indian masses to overview the Indus Water Treaty as “blatant violation of international law.” Pakistan’s Foreign Minister on Tuesday said that “Threats of water war are a part of a military economic and diplomatic campaign to build pressure on Pakistan in the wake of our campaign to expose Indian savageries in the Indian-Occupied Kashmir since July 8th, 2016.”
Review meeting on MFN Status
In the light of the recent events, the Prime Minister’s Office has called for a review meeting on Thursday on taking diplomatic measures to target Pakistan and review MFN status because of its alleged role in Uri attack. The meeting would also be attended by officials from the Ministries of External Affairs and Commerce. India had granted the MFN status to Pakistan in 1996 as part of its commitments on joining the World Trade Organisation.
