India slams Pakistan for refusal to join meeting to discuss locust menace

Pakistan refused to join a technical-level meeting with India to discuss issue of locust menace, Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday, slamming Islamab for showing "reticent attitude" even when its own people face a threat of food security.

MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that in May India h taken initiative of giving a call for intensifying contacts between locust warning organisations of two countries. se contacts have been taking place over last 60 years, he said.

"We thought it was important in wake of threat posed by desert locusts and we even proposed to Pakistan for coordinated locust control operations. We also proposed that we can facilitate supply of pesticides for locust control operations," spokesperson said.

India has alrey delivered 20,000 litres of pesticide to Iran for desert locust operations, Srivastava said.

"As per available information, Pakistani side has refused to join this (technical level) meeting and this meeting was proposed to be held today," he said.

"We find it unfortunate that Pakistan maintains its reticent attitude even when its own people face a threat of food security," he ded.

India h proposed to Pakistan and Iran for a coordinated approach in dealing with alarming threat of fast-increasing desert locusts in region.