SAARC: India calls for Covid-19 fund, Pak chants Kashmir lockdown

18:37 March 15

India calls for Covid-19 fund, Pak chants Kashmir lockdown

New Delhi: India has called for Covid-19 assistance fund that has been backed by the Maldives while Pakistan has again chanted its Kashmir rhetoric calling to ease restriction in the region.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday proposed setting up a COVID-19 emergency fund with India committing USD 10 million initially for it, and asserted that the best way to deal with the pandemic was by coming together and not growing apart.

During the conference, Pakistan's State Minister of Health Zafar Mirza said, "It is a matter of concern that Covid-19 has been reported from Jammu & Kashmir and in view of health emergency, it is imperative that all lockdown in the territory must be lifted immediately."

18:16 March 15

Pak expresses concerns over Covid-19 affecting South Asia

Pakistan's State Minister of Health Zafar Mirza has expressed common concerns over potential of Covid-19 affecting South Asia.

"All our countries have confirmed cases. There is no room for any complacency. While hoping for the best we have to be prepared for the worst," Zafar said.

"With over 155,000 infections, 5833 deaths and 138 countries involved, no nation & no region on earth can afford to be unresponsive," Zafar added.

18:10 March 15

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation's leaders during a video conference on Sunday.

KP Oli calls for SAARC's collective efforts for COVID-19

Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli has called for wisdom and efforts of SAARC countries to fight the world's pandemic. 

"I would like to thank PM Modi for taking this important & timely initiative. Our collective wisdom and efforts will help us devise a sound and robust strategy for the SAARC region as we fight Covid-19," Oli said.

18:10 March 15

Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih

No country can combat COVID-19 pandemic on its own: Maldives

Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Sunday said that one country cannot succeed in combating the coronavirus pandemic on its own, saying the SAARC members come together "in times of crisis".

"In times of crisis, we do come together ... No country on its own can succeed in combating the virus. It requires a shared responsibility at an unprecedented scale," Solih said in a video conference with all SAARC member countries.

"In 2003, for example, when the region faced the threat of SARS, the Maldives took the initiative and hosted an extraordinary meeting of SAARC health ministers that adopted a regional common strategy for tackling the virus," Solih added.

18:06 March 15

Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Hasina praises India for bringing Bangladeshi students from Wuhan

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has praised India for bringing and hosting 23 Bangladesh's students from Wuhan.

"I thank Prime minister Narendra Modi for bringing and hosting 23 of our students from Wuhan (China) along with Indian students," Hasina said.

18:00 March 15

SL PM urges SAARC to formulate mechanism

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa has recommended SAARC leaders to formulate a mechanism to assist economies to tide over the difficult period.

"I strongly recommend SAARC leaders to formulate a mechanism to assist our economies to tide over this very difficult period. I also wish to recommend that a SAARC ministerial-level route be established to discuss and coordinate regional matters in combating coronavirus," Rajapaksa said.

"Our economy has taken a severe blow due to coronavirus, particularly in the tourism sector. Most of our tourists are from Italy and the EU countries. Now there is a ban on their coming. Our tourism sector was just recovering after last years' April 21 terrorist attack," Rajapaksa added.

17:51 March 15

SAARC calls for common framework to tackle virus

SAARC leaders on Sunday called for a common framework for tele-medicine to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

The closing of borders will result in a significant problem of availability of food, medicines & basic goods.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday said, "As a landlocked country -- which is simultaneously the heart of Asia -- the closing of the border will result in significant problems regarding availability of medicine and basic goods. We (need to) coordinate to be able to create controlled flows, that, both, allows transactions to take place while focusing on the essentials."

The Afghan President further said: "Since India is both a very important member of the SAARC and a member of Shanghai Cooperation, it can coordinate between SAARC and Shanghai Cooperation and share how much experience of China is replicable to our situation and how do we learn from their experience."

17:36 March 15

LIVE: SAARC leaders praise India for virus conference

SAARC leaders praise India for virus conference

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation's leaders have praised India for initiating the video conference to discuss measures to tackle the spread of coronavirus. 

The world's coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 1,50,000 people and killed over 5,800. More than 70,000 people worldwide have recovered after being infected.

Apart from Modi, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, Bhutanese premier Lotay Tshering, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Special Assistant to Pakistani Prime Minister on Health Zafar Mirza, participated in the video conference.

On Friday, PM Modi had reached out to the eight-member regional grouping and pitched for a video conference among the leaders of the SAARC to chalk out a strong strategy to combat the virus outbreak. His suggestion was backed by all member states of SAARC.

Modi's pitch for a joint SAARC strategy to combat coronavirus assumes significance as in the last three years, New Delhi has been distancing itself from the SAARC, citing the security challenges facing the region from terror networks based in Pakistan, which is also a member of the grouping.

The last SAARC Summit in 2014 was held in Nepal's Kathmandu, which was attended by Modi.

The 2016 SAARC Summit was to be held in Islamabad. But after a terror attack on an Indian Army camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri on September 18 that year, New Delhi expressed its inability to participate in the summit due to the "prevailing circumstances".

The summit was called off after Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan also declined to take part in it.