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Tensions cloud launch of South Asian summit

A Sri Lankan soldier stands guard in Colombo yesterday. Security was tight in Colombo as eight heads of South Asian countries opened formal talks expected to focus on trade, terrorism and poverty. PHOTO: AFP

Accusations that Pakistan helped a militant group bomb India’s embassy in Afghanistan cast a cloud yesterday over the start of an eight-nation South Asian summit aimed at fostering regional cooperation.

India, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, all fighting decades-old insurgencies, exhorted South Asian nations yesterday to pool efforts to fight terrorism, which they said posed the biggest threat to the region’s stability.

‘GREATER GRIP’

“Terrorism and its sanctuaries are gaining a greater grip in Pakistan,” Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in a speech at the start of the two-day summit.

He said terrorists in Pakistan were getting “institutionalized nurturing and support.”

Afghanistan was the worst victim of international terrorism, Karzai said.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the recent attack on his country’s embassy in Kabul and a string of bombings in Indian cities “are gruesome reminders of the barbarity that still finds a place in South Asia.”

“It remains the single biggest threat to our stability,” he said.

ACCORD

The summit is expected to approve an accord on fighting terror, including freezing funds used for attacks and agreements on the creation of a regional development fund and a food bank aimed at coping with skyrocketing food prices.

Tensions between India and Pakistan have heightened amid accusations that members of Pakistan’s intelligence service have aided Islamic militants fighting in Afghanistan and the Indian portion of Kashmir.

The New York Times reported on Friday that US intelligence agencies had intercepted communications between Pakistani intelligence officials and Islamic militants implicating the intelligence service in the July 7 attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul, which left at least 41 people dead.

Pakistan dismissed the accusation as “rubbish” and promised to cooperate with neighboring countries to combat terror.

WORST OFF

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said yesterday that his country had suffered the most from terrorism, though it was afflicting all countries of the region.

The summit is being attended by leaders from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The region, home to one-fifth of the world’s population and many of its most impoverished people, has been plagued by terror attacks.

Pakistan is grappling with restive tribal regions along its border with Afghanistan, where fighting between insurgents and government troops intensified this week.

TALIBAN

The Afghan government is facing a resurgent Taliban and a spate of bombings has hit India in recent weeks.

Afghan officials have repeatedly said Pakistan is not doing enough to crack down on militants, an allegation which Pakistan denies.

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation was set up in 1985 to promote economic cooperation, but progress in most areas has been slow, mainly because of the rivalry between India and Pakistan, and the organization has often been derided as little more than a talk shop.

Also See: Fighting breaks out ahead of regional summit in Colombo
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