Isolating Pak- Round one completed as SAARC summit has to be called off

The SAARC summit in Pakistan cannot be held and the host nation will have no option but to postpone it. As per the new rules the SAARC summit can be held only if all nations are represented. India, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh are not participating and Nepal is also likely to follow suit.

The 19th SAARC summit was scheduled to be held in November at Islamabad. However all nations which have refused to participated have cited escalation of terrorism in the region as the reason. Pakistan will have no option but to call off the summit as the regional grouping operates through consensus.

The Indian External Affairs ministry had in a statement said increasing cross-border terrorist attacks in the region and growing interference in the internal affairs of member states by one country have created an environment that is not conducive to the successful holding of the 19th SAARC Summit in Islamabad.

Isolating Pakistan has become a top priority for India following the Uri attack. Pakistan on one hand speaks of regional cooperation and on the other facilitates its terrorists to strike in India.

Pulling out of SAARC was another part of this plan to isolate Pakistan. India was confident that several other nations too would pull out of the summit.

This makes India's point stronger against Pakistan on the world stage as well. India has moved quickly to take a few decisions to isolate Pakistan.

India first examined the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan. On Thursday India would hold a meeting to discuss the Most Favoured Nation status awarded to Pakistan.

It would decide on going to the World Trade Organisation and tell it that Pakistan has not reciprocated the MFN status to India.

Indian officials say that the heat is on Paksitan. In fact it is an embarrassing situation for Pakistan as it stands completely isolated in the region today.

Out of the 8 nations 4 have already pulled out. Nepal too is likely to pull out, officials also add. The only countries that have not pulled out are Maldives, Sri Lanka and of course the host nation, Pakistan.