Pivithuru Hela Urumaya General Secretary Udaya Gammanpila said that Sri Lanka made a grave error by announcing its decision to boycott the SAARC Summit in Pakistan which was scheduled to be held this November.

There was no need to boycott the summit as Sri Lanka was already aware that the summit will not be held, he claimed.

Speaking at a press conference today, Gammanpila said that according to the SAARC Charter, the summit could not be held without the participation of even one country. Therefore, the summit would never have been held in anyway, he said.

By taking sides, Sri Lanka antagonized Pakistan, a traditional ally of the country, Gammanpila said. Sri Lanka should have stood by its non-aligned position, he also argued.