Blaming Pakistan for not creating an atmosphere conducive for SAARC summit, India yesterday announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not travel to Islamabad for the proposed Summit in November. The development will likely be seen as first serious and meaningful Indian response to the Uri attack, which left 18 Indian soldiers dead, and in line with subsequent Indian assertions about isolating Pakistan diplomatically.

India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj has led India's campaign against Pakistan at the United Nations General Assembly, calling for the isolation of nations that export terror.

Sartaz Aziz, adviser on Foreign Affairs to Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, said if India pulls out of the Indus Waters treaty, it will amount to "an act of war" and Islamabad has moved the International Court of Justice.   

Bangadesh, Afghanistan and Bhutan too had refused+ to attend the event in Islamabad. Afghanistan and Bangladesh had earlier publicly said that they were not keen on participating in SAARC, mainly because of Pakistan's association with terror.

The SAARC summit cannot take place even if one of the eight members withdraws.

This would be the first time ever that India will not be at such a meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), a grouping India helped found 31 years ago.

SAARC was founded in 1985 by India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and the Maldives. Since then Afghanistan, too, has joined the body which works towards regional economic cooperation in south Asia.