(LiveMint)
Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday sought to isolate Pakistan on terrorism, and piling pressure on Islamabad at a meeting of South Asian foreign ministers, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Islamabad, on its part, accused India of impeding the region’s progress and prosperity, and adding to the tensions with India calling off talks between Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi last week, a day after accepting the proposal.
In her speech at a meeting of the foreign ministers of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) countries in New York, Swaraj stressed that an atmosphere of peace and security—an oblique reference to Pakistan’s support to terrorism—was a prerequisite for economic development and cooperation in South Asia. She also suggested that meetings, such as Saarc summits, were useful only if “expressions of resolve are translated into concrete action on the ground”. Pakistan was to host the Saarc Summit in 2016, but India had pulled out accusing Pakistan of supporting anti-India terrorist groups.In her comments, Swaraj recalled the steps India had taken to forge closer ties with its neighbours starting with the “Neighbourhood First” policy, under which India has given top billing to ties with its neighbours.
