Onus mainly on Pakistan
The ball is now in Pakistan's court to get Saarc back on its track and stop the process of being isolated from the regional body.
Pakistan must address the mutual allegation brought against it by five fellow Saarc members, some diplomats and international relations experts said.
India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Bhutan and Sri Lanka have already pulled out of the Islamabad summit in November, accusing Pakistan of harbouring cross-border terrorism and meddling in internal affairs of neighbours.
Diplomatic circles in Dhaka said not only the five South Asian countries, Pakistan has long been accused by western nations like the United States and the United Kingdom of its involvement in terrorist activities in India and Afghanistan.
Pakistan's tribal region along the border of Afghanistan has been claimed to be a “haven for terrorists”.
According to an analysis published by the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings Institution in 2008, Pakistan was, “with the possible exception of Iran, perhaps the world's most active sponsor of terrorist groups ... aiding groups that pose a direct threat to the United States.”
Daniel Byman, an author, writes, “Pakistan is probably today's most active sponsor of terrorism.”
Postponement or cancellation of a Saarc summit is not a new thing since its birth in Dhaka in 1985.
But what is new this time is that there is a collective voice of the five member countries and the reasons given are more or less identical -- that Pakistanis interfering in the internal affairs of the co-members of the Saarc and promoting terrorism in the region in violation of the Saarc Charter.
Principle 1 of the Charter says, “Cooperation within the framework of the association shall be based on respect for the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, political independence, non-interference in the internal affairs of other States and mutual benefit.”
The decision to boycott the Islamabad event scheduled for November 9-10 is perhaps the strongest diplomatic action the five countries have taken till date against Pakistan after the Uri attack.
India has gone on a diplomatic offensive against Pakistan due to serious deterioration of relations after the killing of 18 Indian soldiers by alleged Pakistan-backed terrorists at Uri in India's Jammu-Kashmir.
New Delhi has blamed the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror outfit for the Uri as well as the January 2 Pathankot airbase attacks.
Previously, India faced several major terror strikes in which Pakistan was accused of its involvement, including alleged Pakistan-backed terrorists' attack on the Indian Parliament on December 13, 2001; attack in Mumbai on November 26, 2008, which has been the biggest attack on Indian sovereignty till date; beheading of Indian soldiers by Pakistani troops on January 8, 2013; and the January 2, 2016 Pathankot airbase attack that killed seven Indian security personnel.
Dhaka has long been highly annoyed with Islamabad's repeated interference in Bangladesh's internal affairs. Pakistan's National Assembly, provincial assemblies and the foreign ministry had passed unanimous resolutions and issued statements condemning the execution of war criminals in Bangladesh since December 2013.
Dhaka said the uncalled-for resolutions and comments after each execution of the war criminals were nothing less than a brazen interference in Bangladesh's internal affairs, which was unacceptable.
Apart from issuing statements and adopting resolutions, Pakistan also repeatedly summoned several Bangladesh high commissioners in Islamabad and apparently harassed them in the name of voicing concern over the trial of 1971 war criminals.
Bhutan, too, has expressed its concern over recent escalation of terrorism in the region, which, it says, seriously compromises the environment for successful holding of the 19th Saarc Summit. Bhutan, in its letter to Nepal, shared concerns of some of Saarc countries on the deterioration of regional peace and security due to terrorism.
Kabul's official message sent to the Saarc Chair Nepal on September 27 spoke of the “imposed terrorism” in Afghanistan. It explained that Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani would not be able to attend the summit as he would be “fully engaged” in combating the “increased level of violence and fighting as a result of imposed terrorism on Afghanistan”.
Afghanistan's decision also comes less than a week after its Vice-President Sarwar Danesh, addressing the UN General Assembly, accused Pakistan of backing terrorists waging a “full-scale war”.
In a harsh indictment of its neighbour, Sarwar Danesh told the UNGA, “We have repeatedly asked our neighbouring country Pakistan to destroy the known terrorist safe havens, but we unfortunately are yet to witness any change in the situation.”
Sri Lanka also expressed its unwillingness to participate in Saarc meet, saying the prevailing environment in the region is not conducive to holding the Saarc summit in Islamabad.
The ministry of foreign affairs in Colombo, in a statement on September 30, said Sri Lanka condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and stresses in this regard the need for dealing with the issue of terrorism in the region in a decisive manner.
The US has recently said that it continues to pressurise Pakistan to act against terror safe havens within its borders while calling for “de-escalation of the political discourse” between India and Pakistan.
Diplomats and South Asian affairs experts say the five countries conveyed a clear message to Pakistan to act against all terror groups, including those targeting its neighbours.
Meanwhile, the five nations' announcement to pull out of the regional summit is also prompting two other member states -- Nepal and the Maldives -- to pull out of the 19th summit.
Diplomatic sources in Dhaka told The Daily Star that Nepal, the current chair of the Saarc, could call off the Islamabad summit. The sources added that Nepal is likely to make an official announcement soon after its top diplomats return home from the UNGA session.
Nepalese media reported that the country has adopted a “wait and see” method, as its foreign minister, foreign secretary and Saarc secretary general are currently out of Kathmandu.
According to diplomatic sources, the Maldives is also likely to announce that it would pull out of the summit.
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