NewDelhi: In a remarkable diplomatic move, interim Prime Minister of Bangladesh Mohammed Yunus and Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif have started their talks aimed at reviving the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) that have not been activated for several years.
The new proposal for the revival of SAARC comes at a time when India, the biggest economy in the region, has directed its diplomatic relations toward BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation), a consortium with South and Southeast Asian countries involved.
Nepal, the present chair of SAARC, has also engaged in the diplomatic negotiation talks. Prime Minister Oli, at a recent meeting held with Pakistani Ambassador Hashmi, insisted that Nepal was dedicated to giving the regional organisation a new impulse. “Regional organisations like SAARC should not suffer due to bilateral issues between member states,” he pointed out the need for interaction among member countries for constructive engagement.
The group of eight countries has not taken any action since its 18th Summit in Kathmandu in November 2014, where the Regional Railway Agreement and the Motor Vehicle Agreement for passenger and cargo traffic were two vital agreements. These were not finalised because Pakistan’s then-government, under military pressure, withdrew support.
At the moment, the Pakistani High Commission in Dhaka is in the process of reinstating connections with a great number of Bangladeshi institutions, ministries, and universities as part of the multidimensional projects, including those related to SAARC. The Secretary-General of the organisation, Mohammed Golam Sarwar, a Bangladeshi diplomat, is managing these processes.
Interestingly, some major issues still linger. Over the years, Pakistan has resisted the India-driven initiatives suggesting cross-border terrorism to be the main concern thus far for SAARC to face severe setbacks. The troubles prompted the community to turn inactive.
Focused by international agencies as they are, the efforts to restart have the potential to redispose the area of unification. Even if BIMSTEC has ascended as India’s channel of preference for cohabitating, the preliminary return of SAARC soothingly parallels the debut of new regional bonding possibilities and troubles.
A senior diplomat, who requested to stay anonymous, stressed, “This is a right time for regional cooperation in South Asia.” He went on to say, “The success of the revival initiatives will depend on their tackling of the long-standing issues that in the first place caused SAARC to be inactive.”
The talks represent a turning point in regional diplomacy and, hence, should influence the future of South Asia and directions in the area.