Nafees Zakaria, spokesman of the Pakistan foreign ministry. APIslamabad: Pakistan on Wednesday hinted that the next South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit here in November could be postponed if India has refused to attend the regional gathering.
"As per SAARC rules the Summit will not be held if any member-country refused to attend," Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif's advisor on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz said.
His statement came as it became evident that it was not possible to organise the summit after India and three other member-countries - Afghanistan, Bhutan and Bangladesh - informed the SAARC Chair, Nepal, their unwillingness to attend the summit that was scheduled for November 9-10.
Aziz said it was not the first time that India was not attending the regional summit and that it had earlier also caused the summit to be postponed four times.
Aziz said although it is possible to postpone the summit but the SAARC secretariat has not officially informed the government so far.
Also read: India pulls out of SAARC summit in Islamabad
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Earlier, Pakistani media said that the government will host the summit in November.
Pak's foreign office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria was quoted as saying that it was learnt from the Indian external affairs ministry's tweet that India is not going to participate in the SAARC Summit, a decision he called "unfortunate".
"While we have not received any official communication in this regard, the Indian government's announcement is unfortunate," he said.
The spokesperson also said Pakistan is committed to regional peace and will continue working for the broader interest of the people of the region, according to the report.
Under the SAARC charter, the summit is automatically postponed or canceled even if one member country skips the event.
Tensions between India and Pakistan have increased after militants stormed an Indian Army base in Uri on September 18, killing 18 soldiers.
Besides India, three other SAARC members - Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan - have pulled out of the summit, indirectly blaming Pakistan for creating an environment which is not right for the successful holding of the meet.
The development a day after prime minister Narendra Modi decided not to attend the SAARC Summit citing "the prevailing circumstances".
Founded in 1985, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) currently has Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka as its members.
(With agency inputs)
