The Horizon This Week
Energising the SAARC
The advent of the New Millennium has meant precious little for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). It has remained in the same moribund state in which it began in the eighties. In fact, it would be no exaggeration to say that SAARC is literally gasping for breath.
it is true that SAARC began its journey gingerly, with almost frightened steps. The only element that unites this region is geography. Everything else appears to divide the region. It would appear that the organization continues to exist because of absence of any other formula.
The SAARC had an inauspicious start. The two most important members of SAARC did not appear to have their hearts in the organization. Thus both India, by far the most important member of SAARC, with border with all the six other members, and Pakistan, another very important member, did not appear to commit themselves to the spirit of SAARC. Right at the star it was decided that politics must be kept out.
This was, no doubt, the desire of the two important members of SAARC. In order to keep SAARC as a viable proposition it was decided in the model of the meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Governments, that the Heads of Governments meetings of SAARC, should have the provision of informal get-together of the Heads of Governments, away from the glare of the media. Yet unlike almost any other similar organisation there was a provision of veto by any member of the SAARC. Thus unanimity became the rule for any issue concerning SAARC. Thus whereas in the recent Commonwealth Heads of Governments meeting in South Africa, Pakistan was suspended, because of military rule, there is no such provision in SAARC. In fact Nigeria was left out of the Commonwealth for years during her military rule.
SAARC, this seven-nation organisation, has a lopsided situation because of the weight of India and Pakistan. The third most important country, Bangladesh, has been valiantly trying to bring some semblance of rationality in the situation, but without much success. Indo-Pakistan relations have been going downhill since the middle of last year. Yet there was a hopeful beginning in the early part of the year with the famous bus diplomacy.
Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee travelled by bus from Delhi to Lahore and brought back Pakistan Premier Nawaz Sharif to Delhi. A state of euphoria appeared to seize the population of these perennially hostile countries. As the people basked in the sunshine of new found friendliness, Pakistani forces penetrated into Kargil, in the high Himalayas on the Indian side of the Line of Control (LOC). An undeclared war erupted between the two sides and Indian strikes along with international pressure forced Pakistan to withdraw from Kargil. This left a bad taste in the mouth.
The lesson to be drawn from Kargil is that ever since the Simla accord of 1972, when Pakistan virtually agreed to withdraw the Kashmir dispute from international agenda, she has been attempting by all possible means to keep the Kashmir dispute alive. The fight in Kargil and earlier attempt to dislodge India from the Siachin glacier, are manifestations of the same desire.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's agreement to withdraw from Kargil, was followed by insidious campaign of maligning him within Pakistan and ultimately the military coup last October which toppled him. Nawaz Sharif had a two thirds majority within the Parliament and therefore, there was no other means to oust him from office.
To add salt to the wound of relations between India and Pakistan, an Indian airline plane was highjacked recently and after a week of agony in the inhospitable terrain of Kandahar in Afghanistan, the victims of the highjacked plane were released following Indian Government's agreement to release Pakistani prisoners from Indian jail. It is evident that Pakistan had a hand in this high jacking drama.
These events have sent the Indo-Pakistan relations spiraling downward. A war of words between the two adversaries is the order of the day. The Pakistani military boss Gen. Parvez Musharraf has rightly stated that Indo-Pakistan relations have hit rock bottom. When the relations of the two major players of SAARC have soured to the present extent it is difficult to visualise to bring them on this platform.
Situation within Sri Lanka, another important member of SAARC, continues to be volatile to say the least. A suicide bomber of the Tamil Tigers made an attempt on the life of the President of the country, Chandrika Kumartunga. In fact, she lost an eye, while scores of people lay dead. There has been a fresh attempt on her through a letter bomb. It would appear that the Tigers are hell bent to get this President elected by the people. Kumaratunga is bravely facing her adversaries while attempting to bring peace to her war torn country. Nepal has some internal problems although they don't appear to be serious enough. Bhutan and Maldives are relatively quiet and very rightly they are devoting their energies in nation building and paying a lot of attention to attract tourists.
Bangladesh, in spite of the tug of war between the Government and the Opposition, appears like a calm sea compared to all her neighbours. It is the failure of SAARC that the idea of sub-regional cooperation appears to make headway. The great tragedy of SAARC is that this organisation of more than a billion people, with great human potential and natural resources remains as the most backward single region on earth.
The question that stares in the face of SAARC is who will bell the cat, who will pull it out of the doldrums?
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments