Reason for Renewed Hope
It was an old song sung, hopefully, with more sincerity and determination than ever before. The fact that our fortunes will change if we cooperate rather than confront, is something we have heard from leaders of India and Pakistan many times before. The fact that our historical, cultural and economic ties point more towards our making common purposes with each other rather than enemies of ourselves is also something we have heard many times before. However, the tragic fact is that we have a long record of NOT doing things that are good for us. Will that habit change because of the business summit? Well, not necessarily, but perhaps, possibly.
Thanks to a timely and commendable initiative by the government of Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh can feel legitimately proud about bringing the regional cooperation agenda firmly back on to the centre stage of our collective concern. Never before have the three Prime Ministers of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan stood at one forum and spoken so determinedly about mutual cooperation. Why, and why now? Simply because, as the Indian Prime Minister put it, "The cost of NON Cooperation has become unbearable."
One fact distinguishes the Dhaka summit from all the rest. Here the main participants were business people, only led by their respective prime ministers. Business people are known for their hard headed pragmatism; and if they speak of making common cause with each other - as distinct from the politicians - then may be we have reasons for renewed hope.
The Dhaka Declaration sets before the three participating countries some specific goals the most important of which, in our view, is developing infrastructure and adequate communication network. The possibility of joint ventures and of harmonisation of relevant laws for that purpose are timely suggestions and should be followed up immediately.
For all these good intentions to bear fruit what is needed is mutual trust. In the euphoria of summit rhetoric we cannot forget that trust still eludes us in a fundamental sense. The legacy of prejudice, suspicion and even hatred characterised Indo-Pak relations for most of their 50-year history. Still we hope that the winds of change that has swept the world, and practically every region of the world, will finally have its impact on their bilateral relations. The Dhaka Business Summit has, we feel, made a significant contribution towards that end.
We congratulate Sheikh Hasina for holding this summit, and the Indian and the Pakistani prime ministers for participating in it with sincerity and enthusiasm. We hope that where political leadership failed, business leaders will show the way.
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