The bickering spilled into the two-day Saarc summit in Kathmandu, as the two country’s leaders refused to meet.
Indian and Nepali officials said Pakistan declined to sign three multilateral pacts with the eight members of Saarc. The agreements aim to boost road trade and electricity sharing, including across Pakistan’s border with India.
In an apparent reference to Pakistan, India’s foreign ministry spokesperson said one country had cited incomplete ‘internal processes’ for not signing the pacts, but stopped short of naming it. Pakistani officials did not respond to telephone calls seeking comment.
Almost all the leaders at the summit expressed dismay at Saarc’s sparse achievements since it was founded 29 years ago aiming to become a European-style union.
Regional integration would happen “through Saarc or outside it,” Modi warned the summit, if the grouping failed to agree on the pacts. Nepal’s former foreign secretary, Madhu Raman Acharya, echoed the sentiment, urging the bloc to step up ‘sub-regional cooperation’.
Despite a free trade pact since 2006, trade among South Asian nations makes up 5% of their total trade. They share few transport and power links.
China, free of the baggage that makes much of the region wary of India, has built ports and sold weapons across South Asia, where its new Asian Investment Infrastructure Bank has attracted interest, including from India.
Through Pakistan, China suggested it play a larger role in the regional grouping, but India rebuffed the proposal.
Modi held two-way talks with every leader except Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, since neither was ready to make the first move to defuse tension between the nuclear-armed states.
India’s external affairs ministry ruled out the possibility of a meeting today (Thursday) as well. “No plans to have a structured meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif,” the ministry’s spokesperson, Syed Akbaruddin, was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India on Twitter.
Akbaruddin hinted the same at a news conference in New Delhi earlier when he did not mention Premier Nawaz’s name among the leaders Modi would be meeting on Thursday. “The PM [Modi] will tomorrow (Thursday) have structured bilateral meetings with Presidents of Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and the Maldives and Prime Ministers of Bangladesh and Bhutan,” he had said.
“These are structured meetings which we will try to work on as meaningful dialogues with our partners. These were all the meetings that were asked for and we have acceded to every request,” he said. “We (India) are for a meaningful dialogue and that meaningful dialogue bilaterally would mean something very specific.”
Asked about Nawaz’s comment a day earlier that the ball is in India’s court to initiate talks, he said: “We have been shouting from the top of the roof that we are ready for a meaningful dialogue. The emphasis was on meaningful. Meaningful dialogue has a meaning in diplomacy. In Pakistan, they know very clearly what we mean by meaningful dialogue as they know us and understand us. They know everything.”
Published in The Express Tribune, November 27th, 2014.
COMMENTS (22)
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@Usama: THe SAARC charter says that only DEMOCRATIC countries can be member of the group. Now you go figure if China is?
come to think back of our history, imagine a situation like 13th century when chinese mongols (mughals) captured sub continent, is it not a common threat. this time the mughals will enslave us electronically/wireless/spydevice. in 13th century it was chains, whips, feeding to tigers,
China is Pakistan's friend and India's enemy but has 80 billion annual trade with India. Going by Pakistani logic, Chinese should not have trade with India till all outstanding issues are resolved. What is the logic in Pakistan not agreeing to sign the 3 agreements.India can and will sign agreements in these fields with other countries.India is already buying power from Bhutan and supplying power to Bangladesh. Afghanistan is the only country with which India will have no connectivity because of Pakistan's stand.
@aka:
there are a reasons you are not there:
its "head" not had. And before you could even think about raising your filthy arm at Mr. Narendra Modi. it would have been bkoren into pieces by the security personal there.@al: Do you know what you are saying? Trade with Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey? You have burnt most of the bridges Sir with most of them. But I don't agree with Modi's approach of ignoring Pakistan as it is the second largest member of SAARC. Pakistan must be engaged despite its negative attitude and efforts for cooperation must go on to bring around Pakistan to constructive approach rather than exhibiting false pride.
@al: Yup do that the only problem is there is a chance that you may be able to sell some good to India but to China....no way. You can only sale raw material to them and they will sell you manufactured goods.
These SAARC meetings are useless and wastage of time. If the leaders cannot talk to each other and discuss their problems, what those meetings are for then? A sheer wastage of time, money and resources..
The Indians are not fools. They know very well what is the present status of this prime minister who is facing growing allegations of being elected in a controversial election. And besides he is the only one who was dying to have friendship with them for his personal benefit without any support from any quarter. Sooner or later the castle of cards was bound to collapse. But don't worry our media team will come up with another face saver for this izzat afzai.
I think Pak is thoroughly confused as to what to do with India esp Modiji.. It only knows blackmail , earlier nuclear blackmail or nonstate actor blackmail. Now they have discovered Gandhiji's methods. Non Cooperation. But to what avail ? India doesnt care one bit. It can very well execute all these with all other nations. It is Pak which is suffering from lack of trade, investments and lack of power. All for Kashmir ?? You must be joking. Look at the turnover in Kashmiri elections and you can learn.
Tit for Tat.. Well played Pakistan :)
The meeting is in our interest as Indians are flying-off internationally, anyway. Pakistan is the one that is struck up for ages now without growth in Economy. So much dependence on China is no good for national interest. Already China is occupying our land for their military bases in Gwadar. China and India are becoming close friends. During the time of war they may collude to separate Baluchistan.
I support IK but NS is still PM of Pakistan. He did the right thing by Ignoring Modi. This is the only language the indians understand. Pakistan must ignore India. Do trade and build ties with China, Iran, Turkey and Afghanistan.
I don't understand why people are so excited about Modi not speaking a single word with Nawaz Sharif. Even Manmohan Singh did that with Nawaz Sharif...and all other people.
if i was there i give modi slap on his back of his had.
pakistan is the only country which block 3 agreements on trade today no other country did that,pakistan say something & do completely opposite,blaming india for your own wrong doing won't help your country
We as Indians do not care one bit. Modi has said, India will bilaterally have agreements in place with the other state members, so that means he has isolated Pakistan. India can go it alone if it needs to and we have friendly relationships with the other nations. Why just show the above photo, the one which shows Modi reading something, shows he paid not attention to your PM. Just know we as a people care less about your country and your views. We have the might, the power and the resolve to make things happen over the course of time. We Indians have the will and are united to see this through. We will free occupied India in due course.
Read carefully my friends. It will show you which country is at the root of blocking every effort for the SAARC region to enhance trade and transit among themselves.
What is this nonsense from the Indian side? India: we want trade, talks, etc.
Pakistan or at Premier Nawaz has been elected on the basis of improving relations with India. India can't expect Pakistan to give up its self respect no country would. After their Ministers statements which clearly said that they will pulverize Pakistan how can Modi expect Nawaz Sharif to start talks with him?
I respect Nawaz Sharif for not talking to Modi. We will not tolerate this.
Both countries should come to senses.
You have the heading wrong...the fact of the matter is that Pakistan is playing a spoiler...and the heading should say that. Not try to smoothen the role of Pakistan by falsely attributing it to India.
What has Modi meeting Nawaz got to do with Pakistan signing a multilateral agreement?
Joining the a trade pact with the rest of the region is good for Pakistan's economy. Don't cut your nose to spite your face. The rest of the countries will go ahead with the agreement and leave Pakistan behind. Only one country is going to be hurt by this behavior.