India yet to decide on Modi's visit to Pakistan

India on Tuesday said that it was yet to decide if Prime Minister Narendra Modi would visit the capital of Pakistan to attend the Saarc summit in November. “Decisions and announcements of such nature (prime minister’s foreign visits)have not been made so far in advance,” Vikas Swarup, official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said.

His comment came after reports in a section of the media in Pakistan quoted New Delhi’s envoy to Islamabad, Gautam Bambawale, saying that the prime minister of India was looking forward to attend the summit of the Saarc in November. “I cannot say about the future, but, as of today, Prime Minister Modi is looking forward to visiting Islamabad for the Saarc summit in November this year,” Bambawale was quoted in reports appearing on the websites of the newspapers published in Pakistan.

India’s High Commissioner



to Pakistan purportedly made the remark in response to a question at the Karachi Council on Foreign Relations. The remark created a flutter as New Delhi has not yet officially confirmed if the prime minister would travel to Islamabad to attend the 19th Saarc summit, which would be hosted by Pakistan Government on November 9 and 10.

Though the prime minister was expected to attend the summit, the recent escalation of tension in India-Pakistan relations over the unrest in Kashmir cast a shadow over his visit to Islamabad.

India is irked by Pakistan’s attempts to cash in on the unrest in the Valley in the wake of the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with the security forces.

New Delhi is also peeved at is Pakistan’s recent bid to launch a global campaign accusing India of committing atrocities on Kashmiris.