Kathmandu: Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan had rejected using bulletproof car for next week’s summit of South Asian leaders in Kathmandu of Nepal. The cars had been provided by India. A Nepalese official had confirmed the news on Monday.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Khaga Nath Adhikari said, “Sharif will be bringing his own car… all other vehicles for (visiting) heads of countries have come from India.”
Adhikari had denied the move was a snub specifically targeted at India, whose tense ties with Pakistan have worsened since October over some of the worst cross-border firing in years.
Adhikari said, “It’s not that they have refused to use an Indian car… when the US president travels, he also brings his own car, it’s not an issue.”
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit will see the leaders of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal, India and Pakistan meet in Kathmandu on 26 and 27 November.
The recent tension of LoC and international border of India and Pakistan in Kashmir which both countries administer in part but claim in full, have killed at least 20 civilians and forced thousands to flee their homes.
Bureau Report
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