South Asia to join hands in fighting coronavirus

KATHMANDU, Nepal

South Asian countries on Sunday pledged to collaborate in stemming the spread of coronavirus which has claimed thousands of lives globally.

The leaders and representatives from India, Pakistan, the Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bhutan attended the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) meeting via video conference.

In his opening speech, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called the conference, said the densely populated region faced "significant challenges in terms of access to healthcare facilities”.

"We were careful to not underestimate the problem, but also to avoid knee-jerk reactions. We have tried to take proactive