The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit in Thimpu, Bhutan will see Foreign Ministers and Foreign Secretaries of the eight SAARC nations meet to discuss various issues that shape the region. On the agenda is a proposal to exempt certain persons from visa requirement for travel within South Asia, formation of a South Asia forum, utilization of a SAARC Development Fund and impeding terrorism.
India’s External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna will be present although his Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mehmood Qureshi is unlikely to attend the meeting. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Malik Amad Khan will represent Pakistan at the SAARC Foreign Ministers’ meet.
Therefore, all eyes will be on Indian Foreign Secretary, Nirupama Rao, and her Pakistani counterpart, Salman Bashir. The meeting may be viewed as a step forward in the resumption in the peace process which broke down between the countries after India pressed Pakistan to curtail the terrorist threat emanating from its periphery.
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