SAARC Summit: With just a day to go, Pakistan blocks crucial pacts

NEW DELHI: The fate of the 18th Saarc Summit — first in three years — hangs in balance at the end of day one on Wednesday after Pakistan refused to sign three path-breaking pacts backed by India to integrate energy grids and free up road and rail movement in the region.

A last-ditch effort has been launched by host Nepal and other member states, including Sri Lanka, to salvage the Summit when it ends on Thursday, official sources told ET. There are indications that Nepal and other Saarc countries may persuade Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to come around on the agreements at an informal retreat at Dhulikel outside Kathmandu on Thursday.

Three agreements had been prepared ahead of the summit, two on improving road and rail connections (Saarc Motor Vehicles Agreement and Regional Railways Agreements) among South Asian states, and one on making it easier for countries in the power-starved region to trade in electricity. These pacts, that were approved by the Narendra Modi Cabinet last week, would be counted as major achievements if they are inked on Thursday. Cabinets in other South Asian countries, including Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan, have also ratified these pacts, sources informed.