ISLAMABAD, Feb 2: The 13th Saarc summit scheduled to be held in Dhaka on Feb 6-7 was postponed on Wednesday after India announced that it would not be able to attend it due to security concerns and political situation in the 'neighbourhood'.

This is the second postponement of the summit which was initially slated for Jan 9-11, but put off due to the tsunami that hit the region in late December.

A foreign ministry statement issued here on Wednesday said: "Following the official announcement made by the Indian external affairs ministry in New Delhi today that India will not be able to attend the forthcoming Saarc summit in Dhaka, Pakistan in its capacity as the current chairman of Saarc, after consultations with the host government, has announced the postponement of the 13th Saarc summit."

Saarc rules, tradition and practice require the presence of all seven-member states for the holding of its apex meetings. Pakistan expressed disappointment on the postponement and hoped for early rescheduling of new dates for the summit.

Referring to the 'excellent' preparation made by the government of Bangladesh for the holding a successful summit, the official statement said: "Mindful of the inconvenience caused to the host government, Pakistan hopes that fresh dates for the holding of the 13th Saarc (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) summit will be agreed upon soon."

Bangladesh had made elaborate arrangements for the summit that cost it over 160 million takas. Reiterating Islamabad' commitment to the Saarc process and the need to strengthen it, the foreign ministry statement said: "Pakistan will continue to make unremitting efforts to promote the prospects of regional cooperation in South Asia.

It is imperative that the Saarc process is not disrupted due to the postponement of the summit." The process of consultations for fixing new dates for holding the summit in Dhaka would be initiated soon, it said.

Meanwhile, referring to recent political developments in Nepal, a foreign ministry official here said that Pakistan supported Nepal's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"Pakistan respects the principles of non-interference and views recent developments as purely an internal matter of Nepal. We are confident that the kingdom of Nepal and its proud people will effectively overcome any transient difficulties," the statement said.

"Pakistan has always supported the efforts of the government and the people of Nepal to rid the country of menace of terrorism and would continue to extend all possible assistance for the economic development of Nepal," it added.

The Indian announcement came on the eve of the meeting of the Saarc standing committee comprising foreign secretaries, and when the pre-summit meeting of the programming committee was under way.

This is the fifth time in the almost two-decade history of Saarc that India has caused postponement of a summit. The last time it did so was on the occasion of the 12th summit slated for January 2003 in Islamabad.

The summit had to be postponed because India failed to confirm its participation despite several reminders by the host and the Saarc secretariat. The postponement of the summit also delays a crucial meeting between Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and his Indian counterpart Dr Manmohan Singh planned on the sidelines of the Dhaka summit.

APP ADDS: Foreign Office spokesman Masood Khan on Wednesday said that the Indian decision had caused widespread disappointment in Bangladesh. Talking to PTV from Dhaka where he was in connection with the pre-summit meetings, the spokesman described the security situation in Dhaka as satisfactory. All participants were making preparations for the sessions of the standing committees, he said.