KATHMANDAU, Sept 29: As part of preparation for the upcoming 19th SAARC Summit to be held in Islamabad, a South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) parliament conference is taking place in the capital on Thursday

The conference to be participated by the former Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers and foreign affairs experts will come up with a concrete decision on how to make the upcoming SAARC Summit effective.

In the conference to be organized by the International Relations and Labor Committee of the Legislature-Parliament, only former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal is taking part, Committee member Lalbabu Yadav told Republica Online.

Half a dozen experts from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal are presenting papers on how to bolster and make SAARC effective in the conference.

The conference is taking place at a time when the four south Asian countries -India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan - have already announced that they will not take part in the summit.

As the incumbent SAARC chair, Nepal has said that it is for holding the 19th SAARC Summit as per the schedule.

Former foreign minister Ramesh Nath Pandey also stressed suggested to Nepal  to take  initiatives to sort out problems that have surfaced regarding Pakistan as the venue for the upcoming summit.

According to Yadav, former prime ministers and deputy prime ministers of Nepal including Bhim Rawal, Narayankaji Shrestha, Kamal Thapa, Sujata Koirala and Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar will chair at the various sessions in the conference today.

 
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• 19th saarc summit
 
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