The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) turned 35 years today but is still a non starter.
After three-and-a-half decades of existence, the platform has largely failed to advance its own central tenet, the regional cooperation. Marking the 35th anniversary, the heads of governments in SAARC expressed their commitment to regional cooperation but their commitment to regional cooperationhas failed to ever translate into action. The regional association has failed to hold its 19th summit, ever since 2016 when India suddenly decided to pull out of a planned meeting in Islamabad, accusing Pakistan of failing to control cross-border terrorism. The regional platform – of eight South Asian countries – has largely been held hostage to the India-Pakistan rivalry.
But the regional platform prohibits discussion on bilateral issues and the Indo-Pak historical baggage always has been a major blockade in the path of the SAARC not it seems to have any immediate progress in holding the summit due to the Indian government’s recent decision on Jammu and Kashmir to strip the special status.
The decision of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to change Kashmir’s status and tighten the Indian government’s grip over the region in August has stoked anger and resentment while a three-decade armed revolt rages.
But Nepal – as the current chair of SAARC – could take steps to reach out to both India and Pakistan and hold the summit. Nepal itself has its own boundary dispute with India and the government has not able to talk to the Indian leadership on the border dispute, though Nepali Communists have been making it a political agenda to win the election time and again.
Some blame the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi – since his rise in India in 2014 – that he has attempted to eschew SAARC to circumvent Pakistan and pushing the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), a sub-regional grouping that does not include Pakistan.
On the occasion, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said that Nepal, as the current chair, is firmly committed to the SAARC Charter, its principles and its objectives. “As a founding member and current chair of SAARC, Nepal pledges to continue to constructively engage with fellow members to collectively realise the hope of the people of this region,” Oli said in his message. But Nepal has also not done anything constructive to make the platform more dynamic.
As SAARC chair, Nepal should have atleast convene a foreign secretary-level meeting or a meeting on eliminating terrorism, though no other country in the region can force India as they are not comparable to India in terms of geography, economy, military strength and influence in the global arena.
Due to failure of the multilateralism including SAARC like regional forums – across the world – the countries have been slowly turning into stronger bilateral relations. The SAARC conferences – in the past – had signed various agreements in the last 35 years though most of them are yet to be implemented.
On the occasion of 35th SAARC Charter Day that falls on December 8, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan also issued their statements. Modi called for greater collaboration among the SAARC member states to act against the scourge of terrorism, according to Indian media reports. “SAARC has made progress but more needs to be done. Our efforts for greater collaboration have repeatedly been challenged with threats and act of terrorism.”
Modi said that the regional organisation was set up ‘to build a connected and integrated South Asia’ and aims to promote ‘development and progress of all countries in the region’ and New Delhi will continue to ‘support various initiatives to achieve closer cooperation in diverse areas’.
Likewise, Prime Minister Khan – in his statement – said that Pakistan believes the effective and result-oriented regional cooperation can only be achieved by adhering to the cardinal principles of sovereign equality and mutual respect as enshrined in the SAARC Charter.
“December 8 marks the day when leaders with vision and foresight adopted the SAARC Charter and pledged to work together for the progress and prosperity of South Asia," Khan said, in the statement posted on the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan.
On December 8, 1985, at the first SAARC Summit in Dhaka, the leaders of the seven South Asian states –the Maldives, India, Bhutan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka – signed a charter to establish the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Afghanistan joined as the youngest SAARC member in 2007. SAARC Charter Day is commemorated every year to mark the signing of this Charter, and lately it has just become only a 'ritual'.
After three-and-a-half decades of existence, the platform has largely failed to advance its own central tenet, the regional cooperation. Marking the 35th anniversary, the heads of governments in SAARC expressed their commitment to regional cooperation but their commitment to regional cooperationhas failed to ever translate into action. The regional association has failed to hold its 19th summit, ever since 2016 when India suddenly decided to pull out of a planned meeting in Islamabad, accusing Pakistan of failing to control cross-border terrorism. The regional platform – of eight South Asian countries – has largely been held hostage to the India-Pakistan rivalry.
But the regional platform prohibits discussion on bilateral issues and the Indo-Pak historical baggage always has been a major blockade in the path of the SAARC not it seems to have any immediate progress in holding the summit due to the Indian government’s recent decision on Jammu and Kashmir to strip the special status.
The decision of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to change Kashmir’s status and tighten the Indian government’s grip over the region in August has stoked anger and resentment while a three-decade armed revolt rages.
But Nepal – as the current chair of SAARC – could take steps to reach out to both India and Pakistan and hold the summit. Nepal itself has its own boundary dispute with India and the government has not able to talk to the Indian leadership on the border dispute, though Nepali Communists have been making it a political agenda to win the election time and again.
Some blame the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi – since his rise in India in 2014 – that he has attempted to eschew SAARC to circumvent Pakistan and pushing the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), a sub-regional grouping that does not include Pakistan.
On the occasion, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said that Nepal, as the current chair, is firmly committed to the SAARC Charter, its principles and its objectives. “As a founding member and current chair of SAARC, Nepal pledges to continue to constructively engage with fellow members to collectively realise the hope of the people of this region,” Oli said in his message. But Nepal has also not done anything constructive to make the platform more dynamic.
As SAARC chair, Nepal should have atleast convene a foreign secretary-level meeting or a meeting on eliminating terrorism, though no other country in the region can force India as they are not comparable to India in terms of geography, economy, military strength and influence in the global arena.
Due to failure of the multilateralism including SAARC like regional forums – across the world – the countries have been slowly turning into stronger bilateral relations. The SAARC conferences – in the past – had signed various agreements in the last 35 years though most of them are yet to be implemented.
On the occasion of 35th SAARC Charter Day that falls on December 8, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan also issued their statements. Modi called for greater collaboration among the SAARC member states to act against the scourge of terrorism, according to Indian media reports. “SAARC has made progress but more needs to be done. Our efforts for greater collaboration have repeatedly been challenged with threats and act of terrorism.”
Modi said that the regional organisation was set up ‘to build a connected and integrated South Asia’ and aims to promote ‘development and progress of all countries in the region’ and New Delhi will continue to ‘support various initiatives to achieve closer cooperation in diverse areas’.
Likewise, Prime Minister Khan – in his statement – said that Pakistan believes the effective and result-oriented regional cooperation can only be achieved by adhering to the cardinal principles of sovereign equality and mutual respect as enshrined in the SAARC Charter.
“December 8 marks the day when leaders with vision and foresight adopted the SAARC Charter and pledged to work together for the progress and prosperity of South Asia," Khan said, in the statement posted on the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan.
On December 8, 1985, at the first SAARC Summit in Dhaka, the leaders of the seven South Asian states –the Maldives, India, Bhutan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka – signed a charter to establish the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Afghanistan joined as the youngest SAARC member in 2007. SAARC Charter Day is commemorated every year to mark the signing of this Charter, and lately it has just become only a 'ritual'.
No comments:
Post a Comment