New York: Pak FM holds up SAARC meeting, refuses to attend Jaishankar's statement

New York [USA], Sept 26 (ANI): The SAARC meeting on the sidelines of the UNGA session here saw high voltage drama with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi first holding up the meeting here on Thursday and then refusing to attend the conference until External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar finished his statement.
Responding to Pakistan's disruption of the meeting, Jaishankar left after addressed the gathering which included leaders and representatives from the regional organisation.
It was only after the EAM left that Qureshi made an entrance at least half an hour after the meeting commenced.
"FM @SMQureshiPTI refuses to attend Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar's statement at the meeting of SAARC Council of Ministers," Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf tweeted.
Pakistan unilaterally downgraded diplomatic ties with India following the abrogation of Article 370, even as New Delhi clearly outlined that its move in Jammu and Kashmir is entirely a matter of its internal affairs.
Even as all efforts by Islamabad to make an issue out of India's decision in Kashmir have failed, the Imran Khan-led regime has vowed to bring up the topic during his UN General Assembly speech on Friday. (ANI)