Islamabad: An official of the Indian High Commission in Pakistan reportedly walked out of SAARC meeting over the presence of a minister from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) at the event.
During the Chambers of Commerce and Industry meeting on the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Charter Day in Islamabad on Sunday, ‘Diplomat’ Shubham Singh registered India’s protest over the presence of PoK minister Chaudhary Muhammad Saeed, by walking out of the meeting. India does not recognise any minister for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as it considers Kashmir as its integral part.
After the deadly terrorist attack on an Indian Army camp in Uri, India had pulled out of the 19th SAARC summit that was to be held in Islamabad, back in 2016. Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan also declined to attend, and the summit was called off. The SAARC meeting has not been held ever since.
After the brutal killing of policemen in Jammu and Kashmir and the release of a postage stamp by Pakistan that glorified Kashmiri militant commander Burhan Wani, India had cancelled the foreign minister-level talks with Pakistan on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York in September.
