Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday accused India of
harming the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) and
undermining the spirit of the regional forum.
Addressing a joint
news conference with Maldives President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom in
Male, Sharif said “India caused harm to the Saarc by seeking
postponement” of the grouping’s summit in Islamabad last year.
This
was not the first time that India harmed the forum as it “had done so
on four occasions”, Sharif was quoted as saying by Pakistan’s state-run
APP news agency.
India “undermined and violated the spirit of the
Saarc charter by casting shadows of bilateral issues and problems on a
multilateral forum for regional cooperation”, he added.
“We, however, remain grateful for President Abdulla Yameen’s support regarding the Saarc Summit in Islamabad,” he said.
Sharif and Gayoom agreed to work together to make Saarc a “vibrant organisation”.
