In remarks likely to ruffle feathers in India, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu called for an early convening of the Saarc summit during his visit to Pakistan, saying Male is ready to work with other member-states to make the summit happen.The summit, which was to take place in Islamabad in 2016, was called off because of the cross-border Uri terrorist attack in J&K and the process has remained stalled since then. India maintains that regional cooperation under Saarc is possible only in an atmosphere free of terror and it’s up to Pakistan to create that environment.
Maldives and Pak sign 20 MoUs including defence, maritime cooperation
I believe that through this organisation, we can work together to find solutions to the challenges facing the countries of this region,” said Muizzu in Islamabad during what was the first visit by a Maldivian president to Pakistan in over a decade.“The Maldives stands ready to consult with member countries on resuming Saarc’s work. Through sustained dialogue, trust and understanding, we can strengthen cooperation within Saarc,” he said.The visit also saw the two sides signing 20 MoUs, including in areas like defence and maritime cooperation that will be of concern to India.This is not the first time though that Muizzu has called for revival of Saarc. In his independence day speech this year, Muizzu had also offered to act as a mediator between India and Pakistan to advance talks for an early leaders’ summit.The last Saarc summit was held in 2014 in Nepal. Member-states like the Maldives, Bangladesh and Nepal have from time-to-time sought revival of the summit.In its response, India has always blamed Pakistan for blocking the initiative for a connected and integrated South Asia.“India favours strong regional cooperation and has been working towards it for several decades. Everyone in South Asia is aware of which country and what activities are responsible for stymieing Saarc,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, responding to media queries on Muizzu’s remarks in July.