Islamabad has asked the SAARC secretariat in Kathmandu to confirm participation of its members in the proposed 12th Saarc Summit to be hosted by Pakistan in January 2003 by mid-November, according to a report in the Dawn newspaper. Islamabad said it needed time to prepare for the summit scheduled to be held in Islamabad from Jan 11 to 13, sources said. All members except India and Bhutan have confirmed participation. Officials at the ministry of foreign affairs expect that New Delhi would most likely respond after a civilian government was in place in Islamabad. Acting Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad, Sudhir Vyas told the paper he had no indications from New Delhi about the Indian participation in the summit, hinting at some delay in the formal announcement in this respect. "It is difficult to predict," Vyas is quoted as saying.