<div>India has pulled out of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit to be held in Islamabad in November, citing cross-border terrorism and interference in its internal affairs by Pakistan.<br /><br />The move came hours after New Delhi confronted Islamabad on Tuesday with “living proofs” that confirmed that the terrorists, who carried out the recent attack at Uri in Kashmir, had come from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar summoned Islamabad’s envoy to New Delhi, Abdul Basit, for the second time in less than a week. <br /><br />Jaishankar issued him a démarche, noting that villagers had recently apprehended two guides who helped Pakistani “fidayeens” to sneak into India from across the Line of Control (LoC) to carry out the attack in Uri. Later, India announced that it had conveyed to Nepal, the current Saarc chair, that increasing cross-border terrorist attacks in the region and growing interference in the internal affairs of member states by one country has created an environment that “is not conducive to the successful holding of the 19th Saarc summit in Islamabad in November.”<br /><br />Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Vikas Swarup said that “in the prevailing circumstances, the Government of India is unable to participate in the proposed summit in Islamabad”. Meanwhile, Pakistan termed as “unfortunate” India’s decision not to attend the summit, reports PTI from Islamabad.<br /><br />New Delhi’s decision followed consultations with other Saarc member countries, including Afghanistan and Bangladesh, besides Nepal. Swarup said: “We also understand that some other Saarc member-states have also conveyed their reservation about attending the Islamabad summit.”<br /><br />In 2005, India did not participate in the Saarc summit in Dhaka, citing the imposition of state of emergency by the King of Nepal and the law and order situation in Bangladesh as reasons. <br /><br />Basit summoned<br />Earlier in the day, Jaishankar conveyed to Basit that the guides are from areas that Pakistan had been illegally occupying in Jammu and Kashmir. Besides, Jaishankar said that another Pakistani terrorist was apprehended in Kashmir by the security forces and he had confessed to having undergone training at a camp of the terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) in the neighbouring country.<br /><br />The démarche noted that local villagers had apprehended and handed over to the security forces Faizal Hussain Awan (20) and Yasin Khursheed (19), who had guided and helped terrorists cross the LoC and carry out the attack in Uri. Abdul Qayoom, a resident of Sialkot in Pakistan, was also apprehended at Molu in Kashmir last Friday.<br /><br />“We are willing to provide the Pakistan High Commission consular access to these three individuals apprehended in connection with terrorist attacks in India,” sources quoted Jaishankar telling Basit. <br /></div>
<div>India has pulled out of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit to be held in Islamabad in November, citing cross-border terrorism and interference in its internal affairs by Pakistan.<br /><br />The move came hours after New Delhi confronted Islamabad on Tuesday with “living proofs” that confirmed that the terrorists, who carried out the recent attack at Uri in Kashmir, had come from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar summoned Islamabad’s envoy to New Delhi, Abdul Basit, for the second time in less than a week. <br /><br />Jaishankar issued him a démarche, noting that villagers had recently apprehended two guides who helped Pakistani “fidayeens” to sneak into India from across the Line of Control (LoC) to carry out the attack in Uri. Later, India announced that it had conveyed to Nepal, the current Saarc chair, that increasing cross-border terrorist attacks in the region and growing interference in the internal affairs of member states by one country has created an environment that “is not conducive to the successful holding of the 19th Saarc summit in Islamabad in November.”<br /><br />Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Vikas Swarup said that “in the prevailing circumstances, the Government of India is unable to participate in the proposed summit in Islamabad”. Meanwhile, Pakistan termed as “unfortunate” India’s decision not to attend the summit, reports PTI from Islamabad.<br /><br />New Delhi’s decision followed consultations with other Saarc member countries, including Afghanistan and Bangladesh, besides Nepal. Swarup said: “We also understand that some other Saarc member-states have also conveyed their reservation about attending the Islamabad summit.”<br /><br />In 2005, India did not participate in the Saarc summit in Dhaka, citing the imposition of state of emergency by the King of Nepal and the law and order situation in Bangladesh as reasons. <br /><br />Basit summoned<br />Earlier in the day, Jaishankar conveyed to Basit that the guides are from areas that Pakistan had been illegally occupying in Jammu and Kashmir. Besides, Jaishankar said that another Pakistani terrorist was apprehended in Kashmir by the security forces and he had confessed to having undergone training at a camp of the terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) in the neighbouring country.<br /><br />The démarche noted that local villagers had apprehended and handed over to the security forces Faizal Hussain Awan (20) and Yasin Khursheed (19), who had guided and helped terrorists cross the LoC and carry out the attack in Uri. Abdul Qayoom, a resident of Sialkot in Pakistan, was also apprehended at Molu in Kashmir last Friday.<br /><br />“We are willing to provide the Pakistan High Commission consular access to these three individuals apprehended in connection with terrorist attacks in India,” sources quoted Jaishankar telling Basit. <br /></div>
