Amid the tensions growing between India and Pakistan following the surgical strike, Sri Lanka has said that war is not an option and issues should be resolved through talks.
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is in India at present, said,”Cross border terrorism is a big issue (in SAARC) and we have to discuss how to tackle it. Don’t think war is an option, your prime minister has taken a lot of steps to diffuse tensions.”
The Prime Minister also conveyed his concern about SAARc becoming dysfunctional as a result of India-Pakistan dispute.
He said, “South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, or SAARC, has largely been defunct for the last few years because of India-Pakistan friction and could soon become non-functional.”
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh with Sri Lanka’s PM Ranil Wickremesinghe in New Delhi (pic courtesy: PIB India)
Further, Wickremesinghe emphasised that SAARc has to take a decision on cross-border terrorism and in which areas it can cooperate.
“SAARC has to decide on two issues – cross-border terrorism and areas in which we can work together?If we don’t do it, there is no future for SAARC,” he added.
SAARC Summit, which has eight members, was scheduled to be hosted in Islamabad on 9-10 November. It got postponed after five members including Sri Lanka pulled out in the wake of the Uri terror attack.