PoK ‘minister’ at Saarc meet, India walks out

NEW DELHI: An Indian diplomat walked out of the Saarc charter meeting in

Islamabad

after Pakistani authorities allowed a PoK ‘minister’ to speak at the event.


Official sources said the diplomat, Shubham Singh, staged a walkout to register India’s protest over the presence of PoK minister Chaudhary Mohammed Saeed at the Saarc chamber of commerce and industry meeting on Saarc charter day. In keeping with its position on POK, India doesn’t recognise any POK minister. Elected Indian representatives and government officials avoid sharing platform with any POK minister or official.

It wasn’t clear until late in the evening if the government had raised the issue diplomatically with Pakistan. Official sources said India’s position on the Saarc summit was vindicated by this.