SAARC Annual Meet Called Off After No Consensus On Taliban's Participation

Several reports suggest that it was Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan who insisted member states to allow a representative from Taliban to attend SAARC meeting.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid. (Representative Image/ Getty)

New York: The in-person meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Foreign Minister, which was scheduled to take place on September 25 in New York, has been cancelled due to a lack of consensus from other member countries over the participation of Afghanistan, a war-torn nation that is now being ruled by the Taliban, UN-designated terror group. 

Several reports suggest that it was Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan who insisted member states to allow a representative from Taliban's interim government in Afghanistan to attend the annual meeting. 

The meeting of the SAARC Council of Ministers was supposed to be held on September 25 on the sidelines of the ongoing 76th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York.

SAARC comprises of eight nations including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. States with observer status include Australia, China, the European Union, Iran, Japan, Mauritius, Myanmar, South Korea, and the United States.

Last year the meeting was conducted virtually via video-conferencing due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

While the international community is still mulling over recognition to the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan, Pakistan has been an outspoken supporter of the new regime. 

It has also sent higher officials to Kabul and Qatar ahead of Taliban's government formation. 

Recently, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has called upon the international community to support Afghans at a critical juncture through different steps, including unfreezing their asset. 

US has frozen $9.5 billion in Afghan central bank assets and international lenders have stayed clear of Afghanistan, wary of providing money that could be used by the Taliban.

Even Taliban have said that they admire Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's efforts for peace, stability and an inclusive government in Afghanistan.