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SAARC summit likely to be cancelled
September 28, 2016
Just in: SAARC summit cancelled, says India Today citing diplomatic sources.
To bring you up to speed, Nepal, which currently chairs the
SAARC, has sought a new new venue for the annual summit in November
after a number of members have decided to boycott the meeting in
Islamabad.
As chair of the SAARC (South Asian Association of
Regional Cooperation), Nepal has asked for the forthcoming summit to be
moved out of Pakistan in a bid to salvage the 19th summit.
SAARC
functions on the principle of consensus. If one country pulls out of
the summit, then it gets cancelled. In the past as well, SAARC summits
have been cancelled on account of tension between India and Pakistan.
In
a high-level meeting called by Nepal Prime Minister Prachanda in
Kathmandu, it has been decided that an attempt will be made to reach out
to other countries to ensure that the SAARC project can be salvaged.
Afghanistan,
Bhutan and Bangladesh have backed India as the four nations have
already announced that they will not participate in the SAARC summit in
Islamabad on account of Pakistan's role in fomenting terror in the
region.
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