Downgraded participation: Arun Jaitley not to attend SAARC meeting

Indian secretary finance to attend finance ministers’ conference

ISLAMABAD: In a development apparently linked with ongoing tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, India’s Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will not travel to Pakistan for this week’s ministerial conference of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc).

The two-day meeting of Saarc finance ministers will begin today (Wednesday) in Islamabad. Diplomatic sources told The Express Tribune that Jaitley, who is also a senior aide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will not be attending the conference to be hosted by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.



Sources said India’s secretary finance will now represent his country at the meeting, which is to discuss measures seeking enhanced trade and commercial ties among the Saarc member states.

The Indian move to downgrade its participation in the conference is seen as a setback to Saarc, whose progress is often marred by acrimonious relations between Pakistan and India.

Ishaq Dar, who will be chairing the Saarc meeting, was scheduled to receive his Indian counterpart at the airport in an attempt to create better atmosphere between the two countries.

Pakistan, being the chairperson of Saarc, is holding a series of meetings before the summit slated for November this year. Earlier this month, Islamabad hosted a meeting of Saarc interior ministers and Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh travelled to Pakistan despite strain in ties.

However, his visit ended in more hostilities between the two neighbours as he used the Saarc platform to accuse Pakistan for sponsoring terrorism. His strong worded statement drew strong reaction from Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar, who raised the ongoing human rights violations in Indian-held Kashmir.

Dozens of people have died in the disputed territory since July 8 when violent protest erupted after killing of a popular freedom leader Burhan Wani.



The war of words prompted the Indian minister to leave the conference in the middle. Given the negative fallout of Rajnath Singh’s visit, the decision of India not to send its Finance Minister was inevitable.

The development indicates that India may be preparing ground to pull out from the Saarc summit, although Pakistan is still optimistic that the key regional conference will go ahead as planned.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2016.