Asean refuses to make Pakistan full dialogue partner

Asean has again refused to grant Pakistan a full dialogue partner citing the lack of benefits to the grouping.

An informed source closed to the senior official meeting Friday told The Nation that half of the old members, except Singapore, backed Pakistan's full dialogue partner saying that the country has been with Asean long enough since 1992.

India, which joined Asean as a sectoral partner at the same as Pakistan, was a full dialogue partner in 1995.

Singapore said Pakistan's full dialogue status would not benefit Aseanas a whole, so it is better to defer further.

New members including Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Burma did not reveal their positions.

For the past several years,Pakistan has sought a full dialogue statuswith strong supports from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.