Crucial meeting that was to happen between India and Pakistan on Thursday, to deliberate on the locust attacks and ways to tackle the menace was skipped by Pakistan, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
It was reported that according to diplomatic sources, Islamabad had not given any formal response to the request to hold discussions on the locust attack.
Officials from both India and Pakistan were to hold a technical level meeting on June 18 to discuss about the recent locust attacks that led to widespread damage to crops in both the countries.
The Foreign Office of Pakistan had earlier said on June 5 that both the countries were cooperating to tackle the issue under a forum administered by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Both Pakistan and India are members of the FAO’s Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in South-West Asia (SWAC).
The Dawn had reported quoting thePakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui that a ministerial meeting was held in March and a Technical and Operational Coordination Team was formed to exchange information and for coordinating at the border areas to combat the locust attack. She had mentioned that the country had been participating in SWAC meetings on a weekly basis and that the cooperation was fruitful. Farooqui had assured that Pakistan remains committed to cooperating with SWAC member states including India.
Locust swam have plagued the fields eating away crops in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh and in major areas of Pakistan as well.