Following the meeting of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) on the novel coronavirus, India showed its annoyance that Special Assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Health Zafar Mirza attended the conference and not the Pakistani PM himself.
The video conference was attended by Indian PM Narendra Modi, Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Nepal’s PM Sharma Oli, Bhutan’s PM Lotay Tshering and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. However, Dr Mirza represented Pakistan in the conference.
Leaders at the video conference:
🇮🇳Indian PM Narendra Modi
🇧🇩Bangaldesh PM Sheikh Hasina
🇧🇹Bhutan PM Dr. Lotay Tshering
🇳🇵Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli
🇦🇫Afghan Prez Ashraf Ghani
🇲🇻Maldives Prez Ibrahim Soli
🇱🇰Sri lankan Prez G. Rajapakasa
🇵🇰Spl Asst to Pak PM Imran Khan Dr. Zafar Mirza https://t.co/e6b0ahT682 pic.twitter.com/lVIy2qgb22
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) March 15, 2020
#Pakistan cant stoop lower thn this. During a humongous humanitarian crisis, it sends a junior minister for #SAARC meeting of heads of state. Then raises #Kashmir issue in the meeting out of nowhere. Pity..
deserves 2be #quarantined by the global community.#SAARCfightsCorona
— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) March 15, 2020
India also showed its annoyance that Dr Mirza raised the Kashmir issue at the video conference. During his address, the SAPM urged India to lift the lockdown in Indian-occupied Kashmir which has been in place since August.
"It is a matter of concern that COVID-19 has been reported from Jammu and Kashmir and in view of a health emergency, it is imperative that all lockdown in the territory must be lifted immediately,” the SAPM said.
Following the conference, Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi slammed Pakistan and said that the country deserves to be quarantined by the world.