During the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) meeting that took place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj made a strong statement on terrorism.
In an indirect reference to Pakistan, she said: “The number of threats and incidents that endanger South Asia are on the rise. Terrorism remains the single-largest threat to peace and stability in our region, and indeed in the world. It is necessary that we eliminate the scourge of terrorism in all its forms, without any discrimination, and end the ecosystem of its support.”
“I would like to stress that meetings, including high-level ones, can only be effective if expressions of resolve are translated into concrete action on the ground,” the minister said.
After her speech, Sushma Swaraj had left the meeting which invoked criticism from her Pakistani counterpart.
“I am not hesitating in saying that for the progress and success of the SAARC and for the connectivity and prosperity of the region, there is only one obstacle. The attitude of only one country is hampering and not letting the spirit of the SAARC and of the founding fathers fulfilled. When it comes to any positive gesture from India’s side, all I can say is that she left the meeting midway, maybe she wasn’t feeling well,” Shah Mehmood Qureshi said.
Terming Sushma Swaraj’s statement at the meeting “very vague”, Qureshi said, “She (Swaraj) talked about regional cooperation. My question is that how is regional cooperation possible if the nations in the region are ready to sit and you are the obstacle in those talks.”
Qureshi had termed Swaraj exit after her speech as “surprising and unfortunate”.
However, her departure was backed by a source stating that she is not the first person to leave the meeting.
“It should be noted that she was neither the first one nor the only one who left the meeting. Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan and Bangladesh left the meeting before India’s External Affairs Minister. Also, leaving a meeting after delivering own speech is a standard practice in the multilateral engagements. (The minister) left the meeting after delivering her speech as she had another meeting lined up with Indian community groups and other bilateral engagements.”
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