Dr Jaishankar added that India will not tolerate a scenario wherein “terrorism happens by night and trade happens by day” .
External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar on Wednesday launched a veiled offensive against Pakistan. While responding to a question on the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit, the External Affairs minister said that India cannot have a SAARC meeting until one member continues to engage in terror acts.
Dr Jaishankar added that India will not tolerate a scenario wherein “terrorism happens by night and trade happens by day” .
“You have not heard very much about SAARC because, in the last few years, there isn’t very much to hear about. We have not had meetings because you have a member of SAARC who doesn’t conform to all the basic requirements of what a good membership is, and that is today an obstacle reality for the SAARC to meet. You know I said we cannot continue with acts of terrorism and say the cooperation will continue to happen nevertheless,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.
The SAARC grouping has not been active since 2016 as the summits have not taken place since the last summit took place in Kathmandu in 2014. The 2016 SAARC summit was scheduled to be held at Islamabad.