Other than Imran Khan, Modi invites all neighbours

Newly elected Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not invited Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to his oath-taking ceremony as he only invited the leaders from the BIMSTEC member states, Indian media reported on Monday.

The BIMSTEC, or the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, member states are: Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal, Bhutan and India.

A Hindustan Times report says, “The government of India has invited the leaders of the BIMSTEC Member States for the swearing-in ceremony. This is in line with the government’s focus on its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.”
In addition, the presidents of France, Russia and prime ministers of Israel and Bangladesh have been invited as well to the ceremony scheduled on May 30.

“The invitation fits in well with two key policies of the dispensation in New Delhi — “neighbourhood first” and “Act East” — considering that Bimstec member states account for 22% of the world’s population and have a combined Gross Domestic Product of nearly $2.7 trillion,” the report said.

For the swearing-in ceremony for Modi’s first term in 2014, all nations from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), that includes Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Maldives, were invited.