India's new Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic initiative to invite leaders of the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries to his swearing-in ceremony, his plan to build a multi-storeyed headquarters for SAARC in New Delhi and proposal to include the USA and China in SAARC are subjects of discussion within and outside the South Asian region.
What is the status of regional cooperation in South Asia? According to SAARC Charter, the main objectives of the grouping are to promote the welfare of the peoples of South Asia and to improve their quality of life, to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region and to provide all individuals the opportunity to live in dignity and to realise their full potential (Article-1).
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation is on its way to celebrating its 30th founding anniversary. Though a long time has elapsed, regional fraternity is yet to be much effective. Some 40 per cent of its population lives on less than $1.25 per day. Its performance in terms of socio-economic indicators is lower than that of the world's poor. The quantity and quality of infrastructure facilities in the region are low compared to most other regions.
Regional cooperation is generally viewed as an answer to resolving inter-state disputes and internal problems. But in reality, South Asia's 'regionalism', led by SAARC, has failed to improve politico-security environment in the region. Unfortunately, it has not been able to make significant contribution to resolving or managing intra-state or inter-state conflicts. The concrete achievements of SAARC, in terms of fostering either regional cooperation or friendly relations among the member-states, have been insignificant. Bilateral disputes have constantly weakened the process of regional cooperation within the framework of SAARC. On one hand, it failed to make all the South Asian states "submit a part of their sovereignty upon it", especially with India as the key regional power. On the other, it still lacks the capability to have full functioning discussions on political disputes among the member-states -- between India and other regional powers in particular.
Since its formation, SAARC has witnessed the proliferation of statements and declarations rather than their implementation. Even cooperation in areas which are largely non-controversial and previously agreed upon, such as poverty alleviation, trade and economic relations, remains ineffective due to the strained India-Pakistan relations. Take the example of SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Area). The mistrust among the South Asian members remains the key factor behind the failure of this trade facility. SAFTA was initiated in 2004 by SAARC to ensure the gradual increase in intra-regional trade. In reality, intra-SAARC trade makes up less than 5.0 per cent of the region's total, and only 3.7 per cent of its global trade. Though the seven signatory nations of SAFTA implemented the first tariff reduction from July 01, 2006, Pakistan and India have not yet allowed each other to be facilitated under this agreement. In July 2006, India called an urgent meeting of SAFTA Ministerial Council (this council comprises commerce/trade ministers of the SAARC countries and is responsible for the administration and implementation of the SAFTA agreement). Under the SAFTA agreement, the 'free trade area' operates on the basis of the 'sensitive list'. At that emergency meeting, India accused Pakistan of backing away from its commitment under the multilateral SAFTA agreement.
This is but one example of the two countries adopting confrontational postures towards each other at the SAARC platform. There have been several such occasions with both countries debating contentious issues and delaying the actual implementation of important regional instruments for peace and economic integration.
The aforementioned issues, along with the cancellation of several SAARC summits due to India's "objection to the new governments" in its neighbouring countries, plus New Delhi's attention deficit in making SAFTA effective, indicate that there is a mismatch between myths and realities regarding South Asian regional cooperation. The people in South Asia desire to have a peaceful, prosperous and secure future. The security can be attained through honest and sustained efforts to narrow down the political differences. South Asian leaders thus need to muster political will to foster regional cooperation in the real sense.
The writer is an MSS student at the Department of International Relations, University of Dhaka. farhana.du63@gmail.com
