Pak Hinders India’s Initiative on COVID – 19, Denies Video Conferencing with SAARC

India’s closest neighbor, Pakistan, never leave any stone unturned in creating hindrances against the country, even during the time of crisis. The latest being India’s engagements with SAARC members on Covid-19 related matters which are stand-alone events whereas Pakistan wants to bring all issues under the SAARC secretariat in a bid to block Indian initiatives.

Highlighting the issue that the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) secretariat authorities was not involved in organizing Wednesday’s video conferencing, Pakistan withdrew its participation. The video conferencing was attended by senior SAARC officials.

Sources revealed that India’s decision to keep control of activities that emerged from the video conference of SAARC leaders, which was convened by PM Modi on March 15, had helped the country to move much faster and without any hindrances on Covid-19-related issues.

Sources said, “We have described these activities as being stand-alone and outside the SAARC calendar of approved activities”.

He added, “We regard the present activities as events under extraordinary Covid-19 circumstances focused only on jointly dealing with challenges in the SAARC region in a result-oriented way, without being bound by any procedural formalities that could prove to be constraints”.

As per the information, Pakistan has been trying to bring all Covid-19-related interactions under the formal SAARC umbrella by involving the SAARC secretariat, which is based in the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu.

This was an attempt to score narrow political goals at a time when the people of the region are facing the Covid-19 crisis.

By trying to get Covid-19-related interactions under the SAARC umbrella, they will get a free hand to block all our initiatives and proposals by using the SAARC Charter provisions and rules of procedure, including application of the principle of consensus for drafting the agenda and the outcome document, and for the concurrence of all member states for each and every thing every step of the way.