Pakistan throws spanner in SAARC talks, day 1 ends without any fruitful agreements

Talks on the first day of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit ended without any fruitful agreements, after Pakistan on Wednesday reportedly blocked discussions pertaining to connectivity, infrastructure and energy.

According to reports, Pakistan vetoed any agreements to integrate energy grids and to free up road and rail movement between member countries. Significantly, all these proposals were backed by India. During the talks, India was working towards the delivery of tangible outcomes as most of the issues under discussion were agreed upon and had been discussed at senior levels between the governments and had also been talked of in the standing committees.

The connectivity, infrastructure and energy proposals are being seen as crucial for improving cross-border trade which is at a dismal 5 percent, despite a free-trade act which is in force since 2006. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asserting that a prosperous SAARC needs the strong foundation of a secure South Asia, urged all participating nations to work together to combat terrorism and trans-national crimes. The Prime Minister also stated that India's vision for the region rests on five pillars – trade, investment, assistance, cooperation in every area, contacts between our people – and, all through seamless connectivity.