SAARC: Focus must be on economic development

Cooperation on a regional basis may generate a climate of congeniality conducive to a better understanding of what the countries in the region have in common...As a founder member Bangladesh should initiate action in reviving the spirit of cooperation within the framework of SAARC. To start with, Bangladesh government may consider sending special envoy to Islamabad and New Delhi to re-convene the summit level meeting of SAARC to thrash out programmes for economic development.

The countries in the South Asian region produce, by and large, a mosaic of multiracial, multilingual and multi religious pattern. Yet the people in each of these countries not only share similar social and economic values, but also have common colonial experience. Again the bulk of them today are steeped in abject poverty.

Excepting the two island states -- Sri Lanka and Maldives off Indian coast -- all the countries of South Asia have common borders or are situated in close proximity. India exclusively encompasses the two land locked countries of the region -- Nepal and Bhutan. India thus enjoys an enviable position among the SAARC countries not only for her size, population and power potential but also for her location.

South Asia has been viewed as fraught with overpopulation, ethnic and religious conflict, scarcity of resources and natural disasters. Apart from these, mistrust and suspicion dominate the political scenario but the people in South Asia want to integrate with each other.

The region comprises more than one fifth of the world's population but it turns out to be the poorest in economic terms. Although the countries share common rivers, mountain system, ecological cycles but they are equally confronted with disputes of undemarcated land, maritime boundary or equitable share of waters from common rivers. Perennial Kashmir issue remains an irritant between Pakistan and India.

South Asian countries in fact maintain better linkages with Western countries than among themselves. For example, one can reach London on telephone in 5-10 minutes time whereas it is difficult to speak to Delhi or Thimphu from Dhaka. Nepal is probably the only country in South Asia to have direct air link with all other capitals in the region except Maldives.

Bangladesh foreign policy recognises that the states of South Asia have more similarities to bind them together than dissimilarity to divide them. It is this perception that worked behind the idea of regional cooperation.

Viewed in the context of vast potential that exists in the region for cooperation and consequential benefit that may accrue from such cooperation, late President Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh discussed the idea of regional cooperation in the course of his visits to various capitals of the region during the period from 1977 to 1980. The concept floated by him was received favourably by them in the congenital politico-strategic scenario of 1977-79. The year 1985 has gone down in the history of South Asia as eventful and fruitful year for institutionalising the concept of SAARC.

Seventeen years are not long in the history of regional cooperation. It may be recalled that it took ten years to convene a summit level meeting of the ASEAN. The objective of ASEAN is purely economic development of the South-east Asian region. Despite differences of opinion on certain specific situation or world political events, members of ASEAN are determined to carry out programmes for economic development. Membership of ASEAN has already expanded which now includes Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos. It has been a long drawn process to transform the European Community into a Union under 1992 Maastricht treaty.

In South Asia, countries are at different levels of development. Some are relatively less developed than others. Per capita income of the people in the member countries of SAARC significantly varies. In the European Union developed countries contribute subsidies to the underdeveloped partners to make them at par with the economy of the developed ones. Are the developed countries in South Asia prepared to offer subsidies to bring less developed countries in the region at par.

There is a problem of eliminating threat perception between the countries in the region. Both India and Pakistan have refrained from signing non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty (CTBT). Both the countries are diverting huge financial resources for development of defence infrastructure. New transnational threats have emerged in the region in the meantime. These are: ethnic conflicts, organised crime, corruption and terrorism that are causing a threat to stability in many parts of this region. Therefore, a concerted effort under the umbrella of SAARC could be initiated to stop such threat.

If the countries in South Asia succeed in reducing poverty, defusing artificial tension, avoiding hegemonistic or chauvinistic attitude towards neighbours, these will help prevent regional conflicts, in containing arms race, and the region will become the haven for direct investments from foreign countries. On the other hand, South Asia will play dominant role in international relations if the countries in the region attain sustainable economic growth. Here lies the importance of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation through its economic agenda.

The agreement on SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA) was signed on 11 April 1993, and is intended to "promote regional preferential trading arrangements for strengthening intra-regional economic cooperation and development of national economies". One can look upon the prospect for South Asian Free Trade Arrangement (SAFTA) if the provisions in SAPTA are implemented. In this respect, one can endorse the opinion of India's Foreign Minister with regard to free trade arrangement but it should be in line with Article-3(a) of SAPTA. This Article stipulates that SAPTA shall be based and applied on the principles of overall reciprocity and mutuality of advantages in such a way as to benefit equitably all contracting states. Actually all member countries in South Asia are committed to move from SAPTA to SAFTA by the year 2005. As a matter of fact, Bangladesh is keen to take more economic programmes to integrate economics within the framework of SAARC.

At a seminar on South Asian cooperation organised by South Asian Centre for policy studies, Dhaka in New Delhi on 10 January 2003 Yashwant Sinha, India's Minister for External Affairs charted out a plan for South Asian Union upgrading SAARC because SAARC, according to him, did not succeed 'to move or make progress with regard to its primary objective of economic cooperation'. It is partially true that SAARC could not make much progress in terms of economic development between its members during its 17 years of existence primarily because of political rivalry between Pakistan and India. Both the countries have acquired nuclear weapons instead of concentrating on economic development of their countries and addressing the poverty of the people. Following series of seminars and discussions action plan was prepared by SAARC's poverty alleviation commission.

Both Pakistan and India should realise the gravity of the situation over the issue of Kashmir. The leaders in both countries should consider holding tripartite conference under the auspices of the United Nations for resolving the issue. It is because of differences of opinion between the two countries that the SAARC is confronted with serious problem. If SAARC could not achieve success in economic front, the formation of Union will remain a wishful thinking because of wide range of gap between developed and developing countries in terms of economic parity.

Experience in regional cooperation elsewhere in the world demonstrates that such cooperation can grow in spite of bilateral problems. Even when disputes come up, this should not stand in the way of regional cooperation in economic, social, technical and cultural fields. Present SAAF game in Dhaka is a glaring example of cooperation among the countries in South Asia.

Cooperation on a regional basis may generate a climate of congeniality conducive to a better understanding of what the countries in the region have in common. Since the formation of SAARC, Bangladesh has made sustained contributions for promotion of the regional cooperation in different fields of activities. In this connection, one may recall the tripartite summit of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan at the initiative of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to seek cooperation for economic development of the region. As a founder member Bangladesh should initiate action in reviving the spirit of cooperation within the framework of SAARC. To start with, Bangladesh government may consider sending special envoy to Islamabad and New Delhi to re-convene the summit level meeting of SAARC to thrash out programmes for economic development.

Mohammad Amjad Hosaain is a former diplomat.