Pakistan Saturday regretted the postponement of the summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

A Foreign Office spokesman said in a statement that the postponement of the SAARC Summit "on India's behest" has severely damaged the organization and seriously impaired regional cooperation.

"This represents a gross breach of established norms of inter-state relations, as well as the SAARC Charter," the spokesman said, referring to the postponement of the summit on India's behest citing internal developments in Pakistan.

"Thus a precedent has been set which is derogatory to international principles and detrimental to the organization," said the spokesman.

The 11th summit of the seven South Asian nations was scheduled to be held in Kathmandu, Nepal, on November 26-28. All SAARC states, except India, have been of the view that the summit should be held as scheduled.

The spokesman said the SAARC member states and indeed the entire international community cannot but conclude that "India has scuttled the SAARC summit in reckless pursuit of her reckless hostility towards Pakistan and her persistently negative attitude towards dialogue and peaceful resolution of disputes."

In the process, he said, SAARC has been severely damaged and the goal of economic development and progress through regional cooperation has been seriously impaired.

The government of Sri Lanka, the SAARC chair, has expressed the view that "a deviation for whatever reason, from the path of collective endeavor commenced through SAARC, would at this juncture have serious and damaging consequences for the progress, prosperity, peace and security of South Asia," the spokesman said. (Xinhua)