'India wanted Saarc forum to expose Pakistan'

NEW DELHI: Though it seemed fairly obvious that Pakistan was not keen on home minister Rajnath Singh visiting Islamabad for a meeting of Saarc interior ministers, the Indian government decided to make a point over terrorism and also keep its commitment to the regional grouping.

Official sources said the government wanted to use the Saarc platform to speak out, even if without a direct reference, against Pakistan's support of terrorism and send a message that Islamabad shouldn't poke its nose in India's affairs. This might precisely have been the situation that Pakistan wanted to avoid and hence the cold attitude to Singh.

Singh's comments might have also served as the scene-setter for the upcoming Saarc summit in Islamabad in November, which PM Modi would, in normal course, attend.

Pakistan did its best to create pressure on India through aggressive statements on Kashmir and allowing jihadi organisations to stage protests to persuade Singh to cancel his visit like his Bangladeshi counterpart.

"Pakistan observing black day for Kashmir, ISI and army allowing terrorists' protests very close to the event venue in Islamabad and statements by PM Nawaz Sharif were all part of the same strategy - to keep Singh away," said an official.

"The message was clear that 'you are not welcome', but India is strongly committed towards increasing the economic, political relations between Saarc nations and realises that its size makes it central to the grouping and wants to create a consensus on security," he said.

Pakistan was "surprised" by India's persistence and this led its interior minister to keep away from a lunch he himself hosted. "Rajnath Singh's visit and message in Saarc conference did not spare Pakistan," the source said.

Singh had said on Friday that "Pakistan is yet to ratify the Saarc Convention on Mutual Assistance on Criminal Matters. The country is also yet to convey its concurrence on setting up Saarc Terrorist Offences Monitoring Desk and Saarc Drug Offences Monitoring Desk. Pakistan mentioned that they would act soon on these issues. I only hope and wish that the 'soon' would actually be soon".