MEA rules out India-Pakistan bilateral talks during SAARC meet in Islamabad

New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday ruled out any possibility of a bilateral meeting between India and Pakistan during the SAARC event.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will represent India at the upcoming meeting of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

In a tweet message, MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said: “Let me categorically state that the home minster of India is going for the SAARC event. There will be no bilateral meetings with Pakistan.”

The eight-member block is holding a meeting of the home ministers of SAARC nations in Islamabad from August 3 to 4.

According to sources, the home minister is likely to raise the issue of cross-border terrorism at the meeting.

At the 13th SAARC Summit held in Dhaka in November 2005, the heads of state decided that the SAARC interior/home ministers would meet annually preceded by a meeting of the interior/home secretaries to strengthen cooperation in the area of counter-terrorism.

The first meeting of SAARC home ministers was held in Dhaka on May 11, 2006, followed by a meeting in New Delhi in 2007.