PAKISTANI Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will bring his own car to a regional meeting in Nepal next week, an official said on Tuesday (November 18), turning down an offer to borrow a bulletproof limousine lent by India.
Pakistan will transport Sharif's car hundreds of kilometres to Nepal's capital in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Leaders from eight nations meet for two days from November 26 for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
“We have made arrangements for vehicles for all leaders for the summit,” Khaga Nath Adhikari, a spokesman for Nepal's foreign ministry said. “If anyone wants to bring his or her own car, we have no objection.”
Nepal has two limousines and has rented six bullet-proof cars from India for the visiting leaders.
Shankar Sharma, a former Nepali ambassador to the United States, said the decision showed distrust between India and Pakistan, which have fought three wars since independence from Britain – two of them over the Muslim-majority Kashmir.
“They (Pakistan) may have their own suspicion about using the car brought from India,” Sharma said.
Adhikari said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would also bring his own car.
