New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not be attending the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit in Islamabad in November, a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) statement said on Tuesday amid mounting tensions between India and Pakistan over terrorism. “In the prevailing circumstances, the Government of India is unable to participate in the proposed Summit in Islamabad,” the statement said. There was no immediate response to the Indian statement from the Pakistan high commission in New Delhi. Modi pulling out of the summit means that the SAARC summit will have to be postponed as the SAARC charter stipulates that the heads of state or government from all SAARC countries have to confirm attendance for the summit to take place. Pakistan has been vociferously highlighting what it calls are human rights violations in Kashmir, riling India.

Source: Mint September 27, 2016 15:49 UTC