RIP, SAARC

Saturday, 13 June 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

This is with reference to a story related to the signing of a connectivity pact between India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal that appeared in local newspapers.

It is unbelievable to see that India is trying to bury SAARC by pushing forward the concept of a sub-grouping within SAARC countries via initiatives like BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal).

The proposed BBIN will connect only four countries of the SAARC region, namely, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal, by excluding the remaining four, namely, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Pakistan and Afghanistan. This move will certainly further undermine the organisation of SAARC and minimise the prospects of making it a strong body on the lines of ASEAN, EU, etc.

India claims to be the ‘Big Brother’ of the region but with initiatives like this it is becoming a hindrance to regional connectivity by itself. Ideally, India should have shown magnanimity to iron out its differences with its smaller neighbours, especially Pakistan, by resolving the pending issues. Instead, India is continuing with its arrogance to promote the concept of sub-regionalism.

The non-signing of the SAARC Motor Vehicles Agreement and SAARC Regional Railways Agreement at the last Kathmandu Summit were a result of legal and technical deficiencies. The Kathmandu Declaration at the conclusion of the 18th SAARC Summit stated that “SAARC Heads of State or Government welcomed the significant progress towards finalisation of the SAARC Motor Vehicles Agreement and SAARC Regional Railways Agreement and agreed to hold a meeting of the Transport Ministers within three months in order to finalise the Agreements for approval.”

This confirms that the delay in signing of the Motor Vehicles Agreement and SAARC Regional Railways Agreement remained inconclusive due to legal and technical deficiencies rather than intransigence of any single state as wrongly reflected in Narayan’s story. According to the agreed principles of SAARC, these agreements were required to be finalised by the Transport Ministers of all the member countries before presenting them to the Summit.

The two Agreements for regional connectivity were under discussion since 2007, yet prior completion of legal and procedural requirements as enshrined under the SAARC Charter were not completed before submitting the agreements before the 18th Summit. It is important to underscore that the drafts for these agreements were finalised just before the summit at the experts’ level.

The Kathmandu Declaration also said that “the leaders emphasised the need for linking South Asia with contiguous regions, including Central Asia, and beyond by all modes of connectivity”.

This desire of the SAARC Leaders cannot be accomplished by excluding Pakistan and Afghanistan, which are a gateway between the Central Asia, Russia, Middle East and the subcontinent.

If the people of SAARC are determined to leap out of the traps of poverty, then they must strive for unity instead of creating more room for schism. Else we can all lend a hand to the ‘Big Brother’ in burying SAARC and let it rest in peace.

Saman Wijetunga

Rajagiriya