Addressing SAARC foreign ministers, Sushma Swaraj said regional cooperation in South Asia is not possible without an environment of peace and security

Making an indirect reference to Pakistan, Sushma Swaraj said, "It is necessary that we eliminate the scourge of terrorism in all its forms, without any discrimination, and end the ecosystem of its support.". Sushma said threats endangering South Asia are on the rise. Made statement and left without hearing Pakistan foreign minister's statement. Pakistan foreign minister blames India for blocking SAARC's progress

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday said threats that endanger South Asia are on the rise. Addressing the foreign ministers' meet of SAARC countries (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) in New York, she said regional cooperation in South Asia is not possible without an environment of peace and security.

Making an indirect reference to Pakistan, Swaraj said, "Terrorism remains the single largest threat to peace and stability in our region. It is necessary that we eliminate the scourge of terrorism in all its forms, without any discrimination, and end the ecosystem of its support."

The SAARC foreign ministers' meet had gained significance last week when Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan wrote to PM Narendra Modi and proposed that foreign ministers of the two countries should meet in New York.

While accepting the proposal, India had said the Swaraj will meet her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi during the meeting of SAARC foreign ministers. However, a day later, India decided to turn down Pakistan's proposal over the killing of a BSF jawan along the border by Pakistan, among other reasons.

On Thursday, the foreign ministers of the two countries avoided meeting each other. After making her statement in the SAARC meet, Sushma Swaraj left the venue and did not wait for Pakistan's Foreign Minister Qureshi to present his statement.

Addressing the SAARC meet, Swaraj also called members states to bring about trade reforms to strengthen connectivity and capitalise on the region's potential.

"The world is moving ahead to become more integrated and connected where movement of goods and people is becoming easier with each passing day. SAARC needs to deliver on its commitments or risk being left behind," she said.

In his speech, Qureshi blamed India for "blocking the progress of SAARC" and said India's stand on issues is "defying" the spirit of SAARC.

He said, "If we want to gain something from this forum [SAARC], we have to move forward. What's the way to do that? I have no hesitation to say that the attitude of one country is blocking the progress of SAARC, connectivity and prosperity of this region and defying the spirit of SAARC."

Speaking to media persons later he said he did not have any talks with Swaraj. "She left mid way. Maybe she wasn't feeling well. I listened to her statement. She talked of regional cooperation. How is regional cooperation possible, when everybody is ready to sit and talk and you are blocking that?" he said.

Meanwhile, anonymous MEA sources told news agency ANI that the allegations levelled by Pakistan regarding India not being serious about SAARC are baseless and away from reality. "The minister [Sushma Swaraj] in her speech had extensively dealt with various SAARC related projects and expressed India's commitment for making SAARC a success as regional grouping."

The sources also said that the foreign minister leaving a meeting after delivering her own speech is a standard practice in multilateral engagements and that Swaraj was not the first one to do so at the SAARC foreign ministers' informal meeting on Thursday.