Sushma Swaraj leaves SAARC foreign ministers' session midway
In a huge snub to Pakistan, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj left a meeting of the SAARC foreign ministers early. It was also attended by her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi. Notably, Swaraj attended the Informal Meeting of the SAARC Council of Ministers held in New York on the margins of the 73rd UN General Assembly yesterday. Here's what happened.
Maybe she wasn't well, Qureshi's sarcastic remark on Swaraj snub
Swaraj's snub prompted criticism from Qureshi, who said, "I didn't have any talk with Swaraj. On the positive gesture (Swaraj leaving the meeting midway), maybe she wasn't feeling well." In the meeting chaired by Nepal's Foreign Minister, Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Swaraj left right after making her statements. However, Indian diplomatic sources said that it's quite a normal thing in a multilateral meeting.
A normal thing in a multilateral meeting: Diplomatic sources
The sources said that Swaraj wasn't the first minister to leave as her counterparts from Afghanistan and Bangladesh had also left before her. Swaraj had other engagements also and Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale was present throughout the SAARC meeting, they said.
The discussion that India rejected over Burhan Wani's postage stamp
Earlier it was decided that Swaraj and Qureshi would meet on the sidelines of the General Assembly session. However, India called off the meeting last week, citing the brutal killings of three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir and Islamabad's move to release postage stamps "glorifying" slain Kashmiri terrorist Burhan Wani. Meanwhile, Qureshi said he heard Sushma's remarks at the meeting 'very carefully'.
To achieve something from SAARC, we've to move forward: Qureshi
"She talked about regional cooperation. My question is how will regional cooperation be possible when the region's nations are ready to sit together and you're the obstacle in that dialogue," he said. "Also, if we have to achieve something from this forum, we have to move forward," Qureshi quipped.
"Attitude of one nation making SAARC spirit unfulfilled and unsuccessful"
"I have no hesitation in saying that in the way of SAARC's progress and success and in the region's connectivity and prosperity, there is only one obstacle and one attitude," Qureshi said. "The attitude of one nation is making the spirit of SAARC and the spirit of the founding fathers of SAARC unfulfilled and unsuccessful," Qureshi said, in a veiled reference to India.
Qureshi said India is not cooperating with SAARC meetings
Qureshi said he judged from the SAARC meeting that most of the members understand the significance of the group. "You're talking of SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Area), regional trade, (but) how do you have these when you are unwilling to talk," he asked. He cited other regional blocs like ASEAN and the EU and said "look at this (SAARC) atmosphere".
Answer to Qureshi's remarks in Swaraj's statement: Diplomatic sources
On Qureshi's remarks, the Indian diplomatic sources said the answer to this was in Swaraj's statement, where she voiced India's commitment to regional cooperation, saying it attached the highest priority to the development and prosperity of the region, under the government's 'Neighbourhood First' policy. Notably, India had earlier boycotted the SAARC summit in 2016 citing Islamabad's unrelenting support to terrorist activities in India.
