India rejects Pakistan’s SAARC Summit offer
India has dismissed the possibility of convening the 19th Summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation(SAARC) in the near future.
Speaking at a weekly press briefing, Arindam Bagchi Spokesperson at the Ministry of External Affairs of India made it clear that there is still no consensus among the member states about holding the Summit.
India’s statement comes three days after Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that his country is ready to host the SAARC Summit. The Pakistani foreign minister had said that ‘India can attend the meet virtually if it does not wish to participate in person.’
Responding to Pakistan’s offer, Spokesperson Bagchi said, “We have seen media reports regarding Pakistani Foreign Minister’s remark about the SAARC Summit. You are aware of the background of why the SAARC summit has not been held since 2014. There has been no material change in the situation.”
The 19th SAARC Summit was scheduled to take place on November 9-10, 2016 in Islamabad. India, however, refused to participate in the Summit claiming that Pakistan is supporting the cross-border terrorist which Pakistan always denies. Since then, indicating to Pakistan, India has stated that the regional environment is not appropriate for holding the summit.
It is Pakistan’s turn to hold the Summit and Nepal are currently serving as a chair of SAARC. India’s response comes amid the reports that preparations are underway for holding the Summit in the second half of this year.
To date, SAARC was stalled due to India-Pakistan tensions. Now, there is a new development in Afghanistan, a member state of SAARC where the Taliban has returned to power. Taliban is yet to get international recognition. There would be disputes among SAARC members about inviting Afghanistan to the Summit. So chances of the SAARC Summit in the near future appear slim.
India approves MoU for a bridge over Mahakali River
A Cabinet meeting of India has approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Nepal for the construction of the bridge at Dharchula. As per the decision, a bridge will be built over the Mahakali river at the Nepal-India border.
“With the signing of MoU, diplomatic relation between the two countries will further improve," the statement read.
India’s Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said the MoU between India and Nepal will be signed in the “near future" and the bridge will be completed within three years. “The construction of the bridge will help people living in Dharchula in Uttarakhand and in the territory of Nepal," he said. In his tweet, India's Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishnakar has termed it an important that will deepen friendly ties.
Cabinet approves PM Deuba’s India visit
Kathmandu- A cabinet meeting has approved Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s India visit. PM will leave for India on January 9 for a four-day official visit.
Along with high-level meetings, PM is scheduled to attend the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, a biennial development summit organized by the Indian state of Gujarat. PM Deuba will lead a 25-member government delegation.
Nepal sees a surge in Covid-19 cases
Nepal has logged 435 news cases Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. As Omicron cases continue to surge across the world, Covid-19 cases are gradually increasing in Nepal.
370 new cases were recorded on January 4, 435 people tested positive on January 5, taking the total nationwide active cases tally to 5,225. A total of 6,715 PCR tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, and 239 patients achieved recovery.
