SAARC meet: Rajnath Singh skips lunch event hosted by Pakistan counterpart

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday skipped a lunch hosted by his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan after the host himself left the venue. Khan had organised the lunch for the visiting dignitaries, who were in Islamabad to attend the 7th SAARC Interior/Home Ministers' conference, and had scheduled it after the main meeting.

However, the Pakistani Interior Minister left the venue immediately after the meeting got over despite being the host of the lunch. Singh then took the decision to skip the lunch. The Home Minister later had his lunch at his hotel room along with the members of the accompanying Indian delegation. After the lunch, Singh left for India.

The ongoing strain in Indo-Pak relations was also evident at the SAARC Interior/Home Ministers' conference in Islamabad when Singh came face-to-face with Khan for the first time today and the two leaders barely shook hands.

As Singh arrived at the venue of the conference at the posh Serena Hotel, Khan was at the gate to receive the dignitaries. The two leaders barely touched their hands, not even a formal handshake, before Singh moved ahead to enter the meeting hall. 

In a terse message to Pakistan, India on Thursday said there should be no glorification of terrorists as martyrs and also called for "strongest action" against nations supporting terrorism.

"There should be no glorification or eulogising of terrorists as martyrs. There are no good terrorists or bad terrorists," Singh said.