India blames ‘one country’ for SAARC stalemate
Staff Reporter :
India on Thursday reiterated that the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) remains stalled because of “one country,” in a veiled reference to Pakistan.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, speaking at the weekly media briefing in New Delhi, said, “As far as SAARC is concerned, we made our position very clear. There is one particular country which is responsible for holding progress in SAARC and you know which country is.”
The remark came in response to a question about Bangladesh’s Interim Government Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, who recently raised the issue of SAARC’S revival in New York.
Jaiswal said India’s position is clear: it supports regional connectivity but not under the current SAARC framework.
On a separate query regarding the victory of Jamaat-e-Islami-backed candidates in the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu) elections, the MEA spokesperson declined to comment, saying, “I have no comment to offer on university-level elections held recently.”
Looking ahead to Bangladesh’s parliamentary polls scheduled for February 2026, Jaiswal reiterated India’s expectations: “We have repeatedly underlined our expectation of a smooth and peaceful democratic transition through free, fair, credible and inclusive elections in the country in Bangladesh.”
When asked about Yunus’ remarks in New York that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s extended stay in India was becoming an irritant in bilateral relations, Jaiswal said New Delhi had already clarified its stand on the issue and referred journalists to earlier statements.
SAARC, formed in 1985 to promote regional cooperation among South Asian nations, has been effectively stalled since 2016, when the summit scheduled in Islamabad was called off after India pulled out following a militant attack in Uri, Kashmir.
India has since maintained that regional integration can move forward through other platforms such as BIMSTEC, where Pakistan is not a member.