Pakistan sends two member delegation for Saarc seminar

NEW DELHI: Pakistan has sent a two-member delegation for a two-day advance coordination conference of Saarc nations, which began on Thursday. Soon after the cancellation of NSA-level talks, Pakistan had pulled out of even a meeting on illegal narcotics trade. Mohammad Tahruddin, assistant director of National Disaster Management Authority of Pakistan and Gyan Chand, the Director of Saarc division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan have travelled from Islamabad for the conference.

A senior government official said the invite for the conference went just after the cancellation of the NSA talks, but was promptly accepted by Pakistan. Pakistan had pulled out of a meeting of South Asian countries on illegal narcotics trade to be held in Delhi next month. It had communicated the decision just three days after the cancellation of the NSA talks. A meeting between the BSF and Pakistani Rangers on September 9-13 is on as of now, with both sides having exchanged agendas.

Director-general of the NDRF, which has organised the ongoing conference, told ETthat NDRF was attempting to arrive at an informal understanding between Saarc nations to pool their resources to help a fellow Saarc country in times of natural disasters.