Dr. Bhattarai says lame duck govt cannot attend SAARC Summit

Dr. Bhattarai says lame duck govt cannot attend SAARC Summit

A senior Maoist leader has said that the current government led by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala cannot attend the South Asian Association for Regional

"This government has already lost its stature. It is, in effect, a lame duck government," said Maoist leader Dr. Baburam Bhattarai.

Speaking at the Constituent Assembly (CA) meeting, Sunday, Bhattarai further said, "This lame duck government cannot attend an important conference like SAARC where important agreements will have to be signed."

Dr. Bhattarai said the new government must be formed before the SAARC Summit.

The 15th SAARC Summit is beginning later this week in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

A few days ago, Foreign Secretary Gyan Chandra Acharya had said that in case new government is not formed by then, the current caretaker Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala will lead Nepali delegation at the summit.

The SAARC has eight member states including Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Afghanistan