NEW YORK: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was unable to meet Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj as she left a session of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session midway on Thursday.

Qureshi and Swaraj were attending the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) council of foreign ministers on the sidelines of the UNGA session.

Speaking to the media after the session, FM Qureshi said he did not speak to his Indian counterpart. “She left the meeting midway. Maybe she was not feeling well,” he said.

“My question is how is regional cooperation possible if the nations in the region are not ready to sit and you are the obstacle in those talks,” he questioned. The FM further said, “If the nations want to achieve something from the SAARC forum they need to move forward.”

Further, the foreign minister said, “India talks about SAARC and what the platform can achieve, however, there has been no substantial result yet and their behavior is contrary to SAARC objectives. Pakistan wants to see SAARC succeed in the region.” FM Qureshi is currently in New York for the 73rd session of the UNGA. INP