The 19^th SAARC Summit was to be held at Islamabad on 9-10 November 2016. The Prime Minister of Pakistan was looking forward to welcome the SAARC leaders for their participation in the Summit. All preparations had been made for successful holding of the Summit in a befitting manner.

Pakistan deplores India’s decision to impede the SAARC process by not attending the 19^th SAARC Summit at Islamabad on 9-10 November 2016.

The spirit of the SAARC Charter is violated when a member state casts the shadow of its bilateral problems on the multilateral forum for regional cooperation.

The decision by India to derail the Summit effectively contradicts Prime Minister Modi’s own call to fight against poverty in the region.

India’s decision to abstain from the Summit on the basis of unfounded assumptions on the Uri incident is a futile effort to divert attention of the world from the atrocities perpetrated by India in the Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir.

Pakistan attaches great importance to regional cooperation under the umbrella of SAARC. It is committed to the SAARC objectives for promoting welfare of the people of South Asia, improving their quality of life, acceleration of economic growth, social progress and cultural development. Therefore, Pakistan remains committed to hosting the 19^th SAARC Summit at Islamabad at the earliest so that the objectives of regional cooperation under the SAARC umbrella can be pursued more vigorously.

A new set of dates for holding of the 19^th SAARC Summit at Islamabad will be announced soon, through the Chair of SAARC (Nepal). Accordingly, we have conveyed the same to the Prime Minister of Nepal, the current Chair of SAARC.