Meeting of Pak-India Prime Ministers on card in Bhutan?

PAKISTAN, ISLAMABAD: Prime Ministers of Pakistan and India are set to have a meeting in Thimphu next week as the schedule of Sixteenth SAARC Summit has been unveiled, top level sources revealed on Friday.

Officials of Pakistan’s Foreign office were tight lipped on Friday when contacted to confirm this report.

However, Foreign Office confirmed on Friday that Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani will be leading the Pakistan delegation to the Sixteenth SAARC Summit in Thimphu, Bhutan on 28-29 April 2010.

Heads of State and Government of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka would be attending the Summit. Representatives from the Observer States will also be participating in the Summit. Currently, China, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Mauritius, Myanmar, Australia, United States, and European Union are Observers.

The Summit will be preceded by the Council of Ministers and meeting of the Standing Committee.

The Summit will adopt a Declaration titled “Towards a Green and Happy South Asia”, which will focus on problems relating to environment and climate change. A Ministerial Statement on Climate Change is also expected to be issued. During the Summit, the Secretariat of SAARC Development Fund would be inaugurated.

Pakistan attaches great importance to SAARC and is committed to the principles and objectives of the SAARC Charter. Pakistan has played a constructive role to make SAARC a viable organization for regional cooperation, based on the principles of sovereign equality. We believe that the SAARC can serve as a platform to build economic synergies and transform the quality of life of the peoples of South Asia.

During the Summit, the Prime Minister will highlight important issues like matters relating to poverty alleviation, energy cooperation, water conservation, interaction in agriculture and rural development, cooperation on promotion of welfare of women and children and development of better health facilities for the peoples of South Asia.

Pakistan supports the SAARC Social Charter and the Prime Minister will urge upon the Member States to pursue social policies and strategies to ensure overall balanced social development.

At Pakistan’s initiative, Colombo Statement on Food Security was adopted during the 15th SAARC Summit in 2008. The Prime Minister will urge upon the Heads of State or Government to ensure region-wide food security. Pakistan had also introduced the concept of Energy Ring in South Asia which became the vision of SAARC leaders for the attainment of Energy Security.

The Prime Minister will be holding bilateral meetings with his counterparts as well as representatives of Observer States. Pakistan favours SAARC linkages with Observers and international institutions to promote project-based development cooperation.