India has become once again active to sabotage the convening of the South Asian Association on Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Conference to be held this year in Islamabad. Last time the two day SAARC summit was scheduled to take place on 15th January 2016 in Pakistan. But it was postponed indefinitely when India persuaded Bangladesh and Bhutan to pull out of this summit. India even torpedoed Nepal’s diplomatic efforts to change the venue of the summit.
Foreign media reports reveal that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has told to his Naples counterpart in a meeting in NewDelhi that his participation in SARC summit is not likely. Indian foreign secretary Vijaj Ghokal, while briefing the media said the Indian Prime Minister has informed about the Prime Minister of Nepal about India’s reservation pertaining to the SARC summit to be held in Pakistan. He cited the tension on Line of Control and working boundary to be the major obstacle in the way of this summit.
The economic and cultural cooperation among SARC member countries could not grow significantly because of India’s Pakistan specific hostile foreign policy. It resolved its territorial disputes with Bangladesh, Srilanka and Bhutan in line with foreign policy guidelines of Dr. IK Gugral Doctrine for the conduct of international relation in the 21st century. It has also agreed to resolve border dispute with Nepal. But India is not willing to reach a mutually acceptable agreement for the resolution of boder issues in Sirkreek and Siacheen let alone the core issue of Kashmir.
The present BJP government is not interested in the resumption of Composite Dialogue process suspended after the Mumbai attacks on 26th November, 2008 which were blamed on Lashar-e-Taiba. On the same night Maharashtra Chief of Anti Terror Squad Hemant Karkare, Assistant Commissioner Police Ashok Kamte and Inspector Vijay Saskar were mysteriously killed. The investigation report of National Investigating Agency and the verdict of the trial court Judge Ml Tahalyani, acquitting Ajmal Kasab and his two alleged local handlers in this case, that lent credence to the theory that these attacks were false flag operation to derail the Composite Dialogue process at a time when the then foreign minister of Pakistan Shah Mahmood Qureshi was in New Delhi for talks with his Indian Counterpart. India may once again exert pressure on Bangladesh and other SARC member countries to stay out of the SARC summit that Pakistan will host. It is now for the civilian leadership to demonstrate diplomatic shills and defeat India’s efforts for the postponement of this summit for the second time.
