Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has rejected the bulletproof cars being provided by India for the next week’s SAARC summit in Kathmandu, saying he would bring his own vehicle.
“We have received information that Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif will bring his own bullet proof car for the Summit,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Khagnath Adhikari.
“As the host country we have made arrangements for vehicles, lodging and food for all the delegates, including the heads of the government and heads of states, for the Summit, and if anybody prefers to bring his own vehicle, we have nothing to say,” Adhikari told PTI.
It is learnt that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sharif are bringing their own vehicles for the summit on November 26 and 27.
“None of the other delegates have informed us about bringing their own vehicle,” he said.
India has provided special bulletproof vehicles for ferrying SAARC leaders during the summit without levying any charges.
Six bulletproof latest model cars for the summit arrived in Kathmandu yesterday.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Summit will see the leaders of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal, India and Pakistan meet in Kathmandu on November 26 and 27.
The decision by Nawaz Sharif government not to use the bulletproof vehicles being provided by India comes amid tension between the two countries over ceasefire violations along the border and cancellation of Foreign Secretary-level talks.
India-Pakistan tension has always remained a sensitive issue during the past SAARC Summits, overshadowing other regional matters.