On Thursday several media reports suggested that Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh was pushed to silently leave the SAARC meeting during the speech of his Pakistani counterpart and now it has been revealed that he also repeatedly went to the washroom to use his mobile phone while the conference was underway.
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Holding Singh responsible for the killings of his area commander Burhan Wani and Kashmiri protesters, Salahudeen, also head of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, criticised the Pakistan Government for welcoming the Indian Home Minister.
Singh had already ruled out bilateral talks with Pakistan on the sidelines, and in his speech to the forum castigated any support for militants.
Responding to questions in Rajya Sabha after making a suo motu statement on yesterday’s conference, the Minister also said that after the meeting was over, Pakistan’s Home Minister, who was the host, invited the participants for lunch but left in a auto soon thereafter.
“There is no good or bad terrorism”.
The home minister said he suggested to the Saarc member countries that the “ban on terror outfits by the United Nations must be respected”.
“Mere condemnation of terrorism and terrorists is not enough”, Singh said, demanding action. It is also the venue of tomorrow’s meeting where Singh will be underlining the need for meaningful cooperation among South Asian countries. India placed special emphasis on terrorism as it posed the single biggest threat to peace and prosperity of South Asia, he said.
Responding to questions in Rajya Sabha, Singh said “the unity shown by the House on serious issues like terrorism reflects not only the unity of the House but unity of the country”.
Relaxation upon visa-policy for nationals of SAARC countries shall also be brought under discussion during the meeting.
New Delhi also said it was ready to hold the first meeting of member state on Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs), the Home Minister said.
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The Envoys’ Conference is a regular feature in which Pakistan’s representatives in various regions brief the government on important developments in their respective areas of accreditation, and challenges and opportunities arising out of such developments.
