The Saarc summit

[samiullah shaikh]

It is unfortunate that the 16th Saarc summit that opens tomorrow in Thimphu has drawn public attention less for its role as a forum for regional cooperation, and more as a barometer of India-Pakistan ties.
The focus so far has been on whether or not the leaders of the two countries will meet on the sidelines. Unfortunately, animosities between the two South Asian neighbours have dogged Saarc ever since its inception 25 years ago. Although many do not admit to this major impediment to progress in regional cooperation, the fact is that India and Pakistan tend to dominate and influence multilateral developments in South Asia. This is unavoidable given their size. The Saarc founders were aware of this when they inserted a proviso in the association’s charter that contentious political issues of a bilateral nature would not be taken up by the regional body. That principle may have been observed strictly but it has not prevented the agenda of Saarc from being overshadowed by bad patches in India-Pakistan relations.

At times meetings have had to be postponed because New Delhi and Islamabad have been squabbling over issues of concern to them alone. Also, agreements reached on issues of regional concern, such as the convention and protocol on terrorism, have yet to take off because the two largest members have chosen not to implement them. This factor cannot be overlooked in any exercise to assess Saarc’s success or failure in meeting its goals.

It is important that India and Pakistan understand their part in making Saarc an ineffective body. Initially each had feared that the other would use the rest of the members as a tool to promote its own interests in South Asian affairs. Mercifully that did not happen. But by allowing their frustration with each other to be reflected in the working of Saarc they have done a great disservice to the regional body. It is time Islamabad and New Delhi kept their bilateral dealings out of Saarc’s way so that cooperation on trade and socio-cultural issues is allowed to grow. In fact, this could pave the way for better bilateral ties.