Mohamed Muizzu Calls for Early SAARC Summit During Pakistan Visit

During his visit to Pakistan, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu urged for an early SAARC summit and offered to cooperate with other member countries to revive the regional organisation’s delayed meetings. His proposal came in Islamabad, where the Maldives and Pakistan inked 20 memorandums of understanding (MoUs), including agreements on defence and maritime cooperation.

Muizzu stated that the Maldives was willing to speak with other member nations regarding restarting SAARC activities. He expressed hope that further discussions, trust, and mutual understanding will serve to deepen cooperation in South Asia.

The call comes as the regional grouping has remained without a summit since 2014. The next meeting, planned for Islamabad in 2016, was cancelled following the Uri terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

Mohamed Muizzu Seeks Early SAARC Summit Revival

During his visit to Pakistan, Muizzu suggested that SAARC might serve as a platform for regional countries to solve shared concerns. He added the Maldives was willing to collaborate with other countries to facilitate an early summit.

This was the Maldivian president’s first visit to Pakistan in over ten years. The tour also resulted in 20 Memorandums of Understanding between the two countries, covering topics such as defence and maritime cooperation.

Muizzu has previously sponsored efforts to bring SAARC leaders together. In his Independence Day speech earlier this year, he volunteered to intervene between India and Pakistan in order to accelerate discussions of an early leaders’ conference.

The regional organization’s last summit was held in Nepal in 2014. Since then, countries such as the Maldives, Bangladesh, and Nepal have repeatedly requested for the discussions to resume.

However, the endeavour faces a long-standing impediment. The 2016 summit set for Islamabad was cancelled following the Uri attack, and no new summits have been conducted since.

Mohamed Muizzu’s SAARC Push Faces Regional Hurdles

India has maintained that genuine regional collaboration through SAARC required a terrorism-free environment. New Delhi has also blamed Pakistan for the summit process’s ongoing stalemate.

Indian officials have repeatedly reacted negatively to calls to resume SAARC meetings without resolving these concerns. In July, Randhir Jaiswal, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of External Affairs, stated that India supported robust regional cooperation and had worked toward it for decades.

Jaiswal further stated that South Asian countries were aware of the country and acts that impeded SAARC’s advancement. His words mirrored India’s position that the challenges to regional cooperation must be resolved before the process can move further.

Muizzu’s most recent appeal focuses increased attention on efforts to get South Asian leaders back to the bargaining table. His proposal encourages member countries to consult, whereas India’s approach emphasises the ongoing disagreement about the conditions required for regional engagement.

The 20 agreements that were reached during the visit between Pakistan and the Maldives provide the talks a new angle, especially as they include defense and marine cooperation.

Muizzu has stated that the Maldives is eager to assist in reviving SAARC’s efforts, but the summit process is still at a standstill. Given their divergent views on regional security and cooperation, any resuscitation will need more participation from member nations.