Attack on the Indian consulate in Herat, Afghanistan, by four men armed with grenades and rocket launchers results in no injuries.The attack took place even as India was waiting to hear from Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif whether he would attend Narendra Modi's oath-taking ceremony on Monday. India was restrained in its reaction to the attack. "Our diplomatic premises in Afghanistan have been repeatedly attacked by elements who clearly do not support the Afghan people's effort to rebuild and redevelop their country," said government spokesman S Akbaruddin, without naming the nationality of those who had mounted the attack, although he did say that the attack "once again underscores that the main threat to Afghanistan and its peace, stability and security steps from terrorism beyond its borders".
But clearly on the defensive, BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman denied that Modi would hold bilateral talks with any of the Saarc leaders.
"The leaders will attend the ceremony. They will interact with each other during the dinner that Modiji will host in their honour. But these meetings can by no means be termed bilateral talks," she said.
Much preparation goes in before heads of governments sit down for bilateral talks, including precursor meetings of officials for outlining the agenda. None of this has been done in this instance. BJP sources said the invite to leaders of Saarc [South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation] countries should be seen as a celebration of democracy. They said discussions on other bilateral issues were not on the agenda.