Pakistan expects to host SAARC summit this year

Pakistan expects to host SAARC summit this year

Islamabad (Staff Report): Pakistan hopes to hold South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) conference in the country this year, a director at the organisation’s secretariat said.

Last year’s conference was postponed due to political tensions between Pakistan and India.

Malaysian media quoted Ali Haider Altaf, a director at the Kathmandu-based SAARC Secretariat as saying, "Preparations are being made to organise the summit in November this year. Discussions are going on. Let's see."

Last year’s summit was scheduled to take place in Islamabad in November but was postponed after India and three other countries including Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Bhutan backed out of the South Asian summit.

The Foreign Office (FO) of Pakistan in response had said India has a track record of obstructing the SAARC procedures.