India-Pakistan Bitterness: There will be no SAARC foreign minister level meeting in New York this year either

Due to the ongoing conflict between India and Pakistan, no decision has been made regarding Afghanistan, a member of SAARC. Such a meeting was not held 3 times before.

According to foreign sources, since the Taliban led the government in Kabul, there is a problem that no country has recognized the Taliban government, and because of the bitterness between India and Pakistan, there will be no SAARC foreign minister level sideline meeting.

The 79th General Assembly of the United Nations will begin on August 25 (September 10) at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The high-level discussion of the Mahasabha will be held from October 8 to 13 (September 24 to 29). A delegation from Nepal led by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli along with the foreign minister is preparing to go to New York.

As the chairing country, Nepal proposed to the member countries for the SAARC foreign minister level sideline meeting.

Nepal has offered Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh apart from Afghanistan. But the SAARC ministerial-level sideline meeting has come under the pressure of the situation in Afghanistan and the problem of India and Pakistan not living with each other.

Nepal, through the SAARC Secretariat, proposed for the sideline meeting of the SAARC Foreign Ministers on September 26 (October 10) during the General Assembly. There is a Taliban-led government in Afghanistan since 2021. He has not yet been recognized by the international community.

After 2020, SAARC foreign minister level sideline meeting has not been held during the General Assembly. In 2020, the sideline meeting was held virtually due to the Corona epidemic. At that time, the then Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali led the meeting. Representatives of India and Pakistan participated in the meeting.

Then Narayan Khadka (76th General Assembly of 2021) and NP Saud became Foreign Minister (78th General Assembly of 2023). Both tried to hold a sideline meeting during the General Assembly. Also, in 2022, the then Foreign Secretary Bharatraj Paudyal, leading the Nepali delegation to the 77th General Assembly, visited New York. There was no ministerial meeting on that occasion either.

This time Foreign Minister Arju Rana Deuba sent a proposal for the meeting. But the respective countries India and Pakistan did not express their desire to participate in the meeting. According to SAARC's charter, if any member rejects the proposal, the matter will not proceed.

Since 2014 there has been no other SAARC summit, Nepal has been the chairman. It is a tradition that the president holds the SAARC foreign minister level sideline meeting. Nepal is constantly trying to create an atmosphere of trust between India and Pakistan by holding SAARC ministerial level meetings. Besides, Afghanistan has also been discussed with the member countries.

In 1947, the then British-ruled India was divided into New India and New Pakistan. Since then, there has been a conflict between the two countries. India and Pakistan are always fighting despite trying to get along from time to time. India has been accusing Pakistan of producing and protecting terrorists, while Pakistan is refuting India's allegations. In addition, both the countries have been maintaining their respective positions on the territory of Kashmir. Which has also been reflected in SAARC. After Nepal held the 18th SAARC summit in 2014, the 19th summit should have been held in Pakistan's Islamabad in two years. Pakistan also announced the date of 2016. But due to the conflict between India and Pakistan, that was not possible and it is not known when it will happen.

Nepal was led by the then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal in the 78th General Assembly last year. This time too, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli will lead the Nepalese delegation.