Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addressing the SAARC summit in Kathmandu
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today called for "a dispute free South Asia where instead of fighting each other we fight disease and poverty." It is being seen as a muted reference to an ongoing standoff on talks with India.
Mr Sharif made no direct reference to India as he addressed the summit in Nepal of SAARC or the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, a grouping that comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.
"We are committed to dispute free South Asia, need bonds of trust to solve our problems," Mr Sharif said.
Without referring to China, the Pakistan premier also pushed for an "active role" for observers, saying such interactions would help the SAARC grouping.
In what was seen as a message to Pakistan, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani said his country would "not allow anyone to conduct a proxy war from our soil."
He said, "State actors shouldn't use non-state actors and give them a safe haven."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak soon and is expected to raise the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and the need to jointly fight terror in the region.
Early this morning, on the sixth anniversary of the attacks blamed on Pakistan-based terrorists, PM Modi tweeted, "Today is a day to reaffirm our commitment to work together to combat the menace of terror & uproot it from the face of humankind."
The summit began in Kathmandu in the shadow of speculation over possible talks between India and Pakistan.
PM Modi will not meet with Mr Sharif when he holds a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit today. Mr Sharif is the only leader missing from PM Modi's schedule today, say officials.
Sources say PM Modi and Nawaz Sharif may chat informally at Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala's banquet tonight and at a retreat for leaders on Thursday outside Kathmandu, but formal talks are unlikely.