The 19th Saarc Summit scheduled to be held in Islamabad in November has been postponed after Bangladesh and India on Tuesday announced inability to take part in it “in the prevailing circumstances.”

India has already communicated its decision to Nepal, the Saarc chair, The Kathmandu Post reports quoting India’s Ministry of External Affairs as saying.

The summit is automatically postponed or cancelled if one member country skips the event.

Tensions between India and Pakistan are growing after militants suspected to have entered from Pakistan stormed an Indian Army base in Uri on September 18, killing 18 soldiers, according to The Kathmandu Post.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh also announced that it would not attend the Saarc summit citing growing interference in the internal affairs of member states as well as the recent terror attack in India.

However, an official of Saarc wing of the Bangladesh foreign ministry said they have not yet received any formal communication in this regard from Saarc chair.

The summit was slated for November 9-10.

Diplomatic sources said other member states, including Afghanistan and Bhutan, have also conveyed their reservations to Nepal, the Saarc current chair, about attending the summit.

Sri Lanka too has signalled that it would not be participating, the sources added.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan foreign office reacted to the India's decision, calling it “unfortunate”.

As per the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) charter, the summit cannot be held without all the leaders (heads of the state/government) of its member states.