NEW DELHI, Nov 2: India has lauded the Commonwealth’s decision to keep Pakistan out of the fold for the moment, news reports said on Saturday.

They said Indian officials cast doubts on the efficacy of Saarc as an economic group, thus effectively questioning the summit proposed to be held in Islamabad in January.

Star News quoted Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal as welcoming the Commonwealth’s decision to continue Pakistan’s suspension from its councils in spite of the elections that have been recently held there.

It said Sibal saw the entire poll process as seriously flawed and claimed it was manipulated by the Pakistani authorities. It could not have produced “fair results”.

Pakistan had been suspended from the Commonwealth after the military took over in October 1999. The suspension is to last till Pakistan returns to a democratic rule.

Commenting on the tensions within the seven-member Saarc, Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha was quoted on Saturday as telling The Guardian in London that Pakistan was sabotaging economic cooperation within the association.

What is it the (Saarc) summit will do? On the weighty issues like trade there is a lack of will from Pakistan to make any progress and it is sabotaging the cooperation,” Mr Sinha said in an interview with the newspaper.

Mr Sinha, who was in London to attend the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group meeting, also lashed out at the West, particularly the US and Britain, for adopting “double standards” while tackling terrorism.

Mr Sinha said it was the responsibility of countries such as the US and Britain “to force Pakistan to stop sponsoring terrorism” in Jammu and Kashmir. “If you can not, then India will respond without restraint,” he threatened.

Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishan Advani said on Thursday: “Irrespective of what the world says and does, we are determined to win this proxy war being waged by Pakistan... we will see that perpetrators of proxy war are defeated finally and firmly”.

“Pakistan’s strategy to internationalize the Kashmir issue could not be taken far as senior United Nations officials have said that UN Security Council resolution (on Kashmir) has become outdated and is no longer relevant,” Mr Advani, who also holds Home portfolio, said.