Shadows of political distrust on economic cooperation in S Asia

Top officials and experts at the two-day fourth South Asia Economic Summit held this week in Dhaka highlighted the issues that were, time and again, at the core of deliberations at various regional and national forums for more than last three decades. They laid particular emphasis on greater regional cooperation in trade, connectivity and energy and food security. Until now, volumes have been said and written at different levels, stressing the need for such cooperation but without any noteworthy outcome. Yet hardly anyone could miss the sense of urgency that most speakers voiced at different sessions of the summit, particularly at a time when the shadow of yet another global economic gloom is looming large. However, a good number of participants in the seminar in Dhaka have expressed their deep frustration particularly over the failure of the South Asian countries to build meaningful economic cooperation aimed at improving the social and economic conditions of their teeming millions. The venting of such frustration is quite natural, particularly when the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC), even after 26 years of its existence, is considered more like a talking shop. The regional leaders at the level of head of states and governments attend the SAARC summit meetings held in the capitals of its number-countries by rotation, talk tall and approve scores of projects and programmes, focusing on areas that have otherwise strong relevance to the needs for fostering greater cooperation, particularly in the fields of economy and human development. But the platform until now has very little to demonstrate in practical terms. Indeed, it is crystal clear that political relations -- the issue that the SAARC founders decided, as a matter of deliberate policy-choice, to keep outside the purview of the forum among the South Asian nations -- have a strong bearing on vital matters of cooperation in all other areas. The soured bilateral relations have in many cases been retarding the pace of progress in areas of trade and human development indices, which are claimed to be the main features of the SAARC charter. The regional countries after lots of foot-dragging struck the deal on South Asia Free Trade Arrangement (SAFTA) and also agreed to form an exclusive South Asia Development Fund (SADF). But neither of the two is yet to deliver any noticeable result. A number of other regional forums, particularly the ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) in the neighbourhood of the SAARC, could effectively overcome bilateral political tensions among their member-countries and, thus, achieve spectacular results from meaningful economic cooperation. Unfortunately, progress in many promising areas for regional cooperation in South Asia has been held back largely because of acrimonious political relations on the bilateral planes between its leading members and their refusal to give trade and other concessions to the much-deserving smaller ones. The reality is that political mistrust, originating from a real or perceived fear of dominance, has been hurting the South Asian economic cooperation. The political mistrust in South Asia does otherwise appear to be far deeper than in any other region of the world. It is difficult to overlook or underrate this factor anyway, while talking about cooperation in trade, energy, food security, connectivity and so on. Unless and until the countries of the region can develop an accommodative political relation through sincere efforts at the highest levels, the hope about cooperation in other areas would continue to elude the peoples of the member-countries of the SAARC.