The 20-point Addu Declaration clearly indicates the role India plays in shaping SAARC's agenda. Prasanna D Zore reports.
During the SAARC Summit in Colombo in 2008, the Navy had deployed three warships along with helicopters to provide security to the meeting.
Striking a positive note ahead of the Indo-Pak prime ministerial meeting, India on Wednesday said the trust deficit with its neighbour was "shrinking" and there was a very positive atmosphere.
"Building Bridges" was the theme of the recently concluded South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, or Saarc, summit in Addu (Maldives).
Official sources told PTI that Speaker of the Peoples' Majlis Abdullah Shahid has sent a formal invitation to the prime minister to address the Majlis during his official visit to Maldives for the two-day SAARC Summit on November 10-11, which has been accepted.
While admitting that there is still a long way to go before India-Pakistan relationship can be termed excellent, government sources on Wednesday expressed happiness over the progress made in the ties between the two Asian neighbours.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday met President Pratibha Patil and discussed various issues of national and international importance, including the forthcoming SAARC summit.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh did not mince words when media persons hurled a volley of questions at him while returning from Maldives. Rediff.com's Prasanna D Zore, who was part of the media delegation on board prime minister's special aircraft, reports.
Cornered back home for his "man of peace" remarks about his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani at the ongoing SAARC summit in Maldives, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday went on the offensive stating that the ties between the two countries were far from normal.
Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday targeted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for praising his Pakistan counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani, saying he has the "habit of giving certificates" to heads of state while his government continues to adopt a weak stand against cross-border terrorism.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has "erred" in calling his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani a "man of peace" as his country continues to sponsor cross-border terrorism.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday met his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani in Maldives to give a push to normalisation of bilateral relations marked by "shrinking" trust deficit.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh leaves New Delhi on Wednesday on a 4-day visit to Maldives to attend the SAARC Summit on the margins of which he will meet his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be meeting his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani on the sidelines of the SAARC Summit to be held in the Maldives next week.
In unusual comments at the SAARC forum, Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed on Wednesday talked about strained relations between India and Pakistan, saying that he hoped that tomorrow's meeting between the two countries' Prime Ministers will lead to resolution of their differences.
At the SAARC summit in Thimphu, India and Pakistan have, at last, found a mutually suitable language for public use and may have kickstarted a process that may eventually lead to a broader dialogue. Sheela Bhatt analyses the talks from Thimphu.
On location to cover the ongoing SAARC summit, Sheela Bhatt strolls through the valleys of this tranquil wonderland called Thimphu; and meets interesting personalities amidst ethereal surroundings.
Less than a year after their controversial engagement in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani will meet in Thimphu on with little expectations of any breakthrough. The two leaders shook hands twice during the opening day of the SAARC Summit today and Singh is expected to convey India's strong demand for action by Pakistan against the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack to Gilani.
The challenge before us is to translate institutions into activities, conventions into programmes, official statements into popular sentiments. Declarations at summits and official level meetings do not amount to regional cooperation or integration. Regional cooperation should enable freer movement of people, of goods, of services and of ideas. It should help us re-discover our shared heritage and build our common future.
Pakistan has played a spoiler in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation's efforts to firm up agreements on developing intra-regional connectivity and establishing a common response to disasters.A Motor Vehicles Agreement, providing for connectivity between Kabul and Dhaka criss-crossing the region, and a pact on Rapid Response to Natural Disasters, were scheduled to be signed during the upcoming 16th SAARC Summit in Thimphu on April 28-29.
China's profile as the South Asia's leading interlocutor highlights India's inability to lead its own sub-region. This is the stark message that the Indian establishment needs to cull from the Thimpu SAARC summit.
Pakistan agreed to a change in the format for future talks with India in return for New Delhi's consent to resume broad-based engagement with it, diplomatic sources said on Friday.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday emphasised the need for all political parties in Nepal to sink their differences and come together to push the peace process as he met his Nepalese counterpart Madhav Kumar Nepal.
Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit said India has not yet officially informed Pakistan government about the development. Basit said the arrest is an "internal matter" and would have no bearing on SAARC activities
India on Wednesday announced setting up of a fund that would help South Asia effectively meet urgent adaptation and capacity building needs posed by climate change and also proposed establishment of innovation centres in the region to develop sustainable energy technologies.
The first thing that struck Sheela Bhatt, in Thimphu to cover the summit, was that whiff of fresh air -- opulent and serene. Here are her first impressions on the eve of the summit.
Sources in the Indian Intelligence Bureau told rediff.com that Madhuri Gupta, who was working in the press wing of the Indian High Commission in Pakistan, was passing on sensitive information to Pakistani intelligence agencies for kickbacks.
Persisting ambiguity over the possibility of an Indo-Pak dialogue taking place on the sidelines of next week's SAARC summit in Bhutan, has once again hijacked attention from broader and more complex issues involving this nearly 25-year-old regional grouping.
Musharraf's statement comes in the wake of the postponing of the SAARC summit which scheduled for November in Islamabad.
The SAARC summit on Interior/Home affairs had a cold start on Thursday when the Indo-Pak interior secretaries had miscommunication in their one on one meeting and the delegates failed to approve few key proposals to cooperate in the fields of police and immigration.
Hours after an Indian court convicted Ajmal Kasab for involvement in the Mumbai attacks, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday said his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh had told him that he trusted Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the carnage to justice.
Prime Minister Singh left on Friday morning for New Delhi from Paro International airport, about 60 km from Thimphu, the Bhutanese capital.
On the eve of a crucial meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani, the United States on Wednesday said that it encourages such development which is good for the region.
Pitching for freer movement of goods, services and people across South Asia, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday warned that the region faces the risk of "marginalisation and stagnation" if member countries fail to build SAARC as a group that is better connected and better empowered.
Pakistan's request for access to Kasab was contained in its response to the three Indian dossiers provided to it during the February 25 Foreign Secretary-level talks in New Delhi, official sources told PTI.
This would be Karzai's first visit to India after his re-election as President. It assumes importance as it is taking place just before Karzai holds a Grand Jirga to reconcile with the so-called 'Good Taliban'.
The highlights of the Declaration adopted at the 14th SAARC Summit.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to meet his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Reza Gilani on the sidelines of the 15th SAARC Summit in Colombo against the backdrop of a spurt in terrorist activities against Indian installations and infiltration across the Line of Control.
India on Wednesday said it has no plans for a structured meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the 18th SAARC summit.
India on Tuesday said the inclusion of Afghanistan in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation would go a long way in establishing lasting peace and stability in the region.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances