Draft Colombo declaration skips issue of disarmament

COLOMBO, July 26: The tricky issue of disarmament, to which ritualistic obeisance is paid at every SAARC summit, finds no place in the dr...

COLOMBO, July 26: The tricky issue of disarmament, to which ritualistic obeisance is paid at every SAARC summit, finds no place in the draft declaration of the 10th summit.

Sources said the declaration concentrates on economic co-operation between the member states but the staple line on disarmament is missing.

Last year’s Male declaration had also reiterated the commitment of member states to disarmament. "Noting that the end of the Cold War had created unprecedented opportunities in the field of disarmament, the heads of state or government recognised the need for the international community to pursue nuclear disarmament as a matter of highest priority," it had stated.

Story continues below this ad

Meanwhile, the countdown for the anxiously-awaited meeting between the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan began as Foreign Secretaries of the two countries met on Sunday night to set the broad contours for discussions between the Premiers. In view of the nuclear tests by Pakistan and India in May this year, the framers of the draftColombo declaration have preferred not to address the issue at all as it could be potentially contentious.

However, the declaration is yet a draft and may undergo several changes before it is finally adopted at the end of the summit on July 31. Foreign ministry sources here said that in any case, the issue of the nuclear tests and its effect on regional security was more than likely to crop up at the summit again and again.

Sources said that as both India and Pakistan have declared time

Air India safety violations, Air India show cause notices, Air India Boeing 787 crash, Air India London Gatwick crash, DGCA Air India inspections,

‘Unfortunate’: SC slams reports suggesting ‘pilot error’ led to Air India crash

Legal4 hr ago

The Supreme Court Monday issued notice on a plea seeking an independent and expeditious investigation into the June 12, 2025, crash of an Air India Boeing Dreamliner in Ahmedabad, which killed 260 people. The bench also termed as “unfortunate” media reports which indicated that “pilot error” was to blame for the crash, purportedly quoting some preliminary findings by the AAIB.

View all shorts

Live Blog