South Asia leaders to discuss how to tackle coronavirus

South Asian nations will come together for the first time in more than five years to discuss the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

The meeting, to be held via video conference, was proposed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.

Modi called on the leaders of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to "chalk out a strong strategy" to deal with the pandemic.

While almost all South Asian leaders are expected to attend the virtual summit, Pakistan said it will be represented by its Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health, Zafar Mirza.