DAILY EXCELSIOR, JAMMU SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2020 (PAGE 7) Eduardo Faleiro created in 1985 to promote economic devel- opment and social progress in South Asia he Asian resurgence is one of the most through regional cooperation. Effective significant developments of our time. implementation of South Asia Free Trade TThe rise of Asia began with the The Asian resurgence Agreement (SAFTA) is likely to accomplish extraordinary economic progress of Japan in the full economic and strategic potential of rise of Asia nor the decline of the West are ers. Hence, democracy is promoted but not if heralding the Asian Century as well. The late between India and China and assertion of the 1950s and 60s; was followed by the South Asia. The establishment of the South irreversible. it brings Islamic fundamentalists to power; Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee sovereignty on Arunachal Pradesh shape the remarkable advance of the Asian Tigers Asian University in 2010 was also a concrete In the Huntington thesis, Western strate- non proliferation is preached to Iran and emphasized about a decade and a half ago: Indian perception of China. China's increas- Hongkong, Taiwan, South Korea and Singa- achievement of SAARC. The South Asian gy to maintain and strengthen its global North Korea but not to Israel; human rights "The 21st century will become the Century ing arms supplies to some of India's neigh- pore and other countries of South East Asia; University is an international university supremacy is focused on Euro-American uni- are an issue with China but not with Saudi of Asia if China and India can build a stable bours corroborates the perception that the and now, the impressive growth of China and established by the eight member nations of ty, it exploits differences among non Western Arabia. and lasting relationship". The phrase Asian former was incessantly engaged in multiply- India. SAARC viz. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, nations and attempts to develop common Century arose in the ing its influence in what the latter considers The Twenty First century will reportedly Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and interests with what it calls "swing civiliza- mid to late 1980s, and its strategic periphery. be the Asian century just as the Twentieth was The India-Pakistan relations, since the Sri Lanka. The main campus of the Univer- tions" which are the "major actors in world is attributed to a 1988 The Chinese perception of India is led by the American century and the Nineteenth the sity is located in India. It offers post-gradu- affairs likely to have ambivalent and fluctu- meeting of People's factors ranging from controversial border European century. By 2050, China is expect- creation of both the nations in 1947 have ate and doctoral programmes in various dis- ating relations with the West and its chal- Republic of China issues to New Delhi's act of providing asy- ed to be the largest economy in the world. By ciplines. It attracts students from all member lengers" such as Japan, Russia and India. been precarious; the two nations have (PRC) leader Deng lum to the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader that time Asia might hold seven of the ten nations. Western supremacy is sought to be safe- Xiaoping and Indian who claimed autonomy for Tibet. India's leading national economies. The India-Pakistan relations, since the guarded through a three pronged strategy: (i) been involved in four wars. Kashmir has Prime Minister Rajiv commitment to a strategic partnership with Samuel Huntington in his seminal work creation of both the nations in 1947 have been a globalised economy which the West domi- Gandhi at which Deng the US on the one hand and attempts at forg- "The Clash of Civilizations and the remak- precarious; the two nations have been nates; (ii) non-proliferation of nuclear been the crucial issue for both the said that 'in recent ing bilateral ties with China on the other also ing of the World Order" perceives the ascen- involved in four wars. Kashmir has been the weapons and W.M.Ds which should be exclu- years people have been does not convince China that the strategic dancy of Asia in contrast to the decline of the crucial issue for both the nations and it is an sively controlled by Western powers; and (iii) nations and it is an unresolved boundary saying that the next partnership is not directed at undercutting West and attributes the latter to low econom- unresolved boundary dispute. Terrorism is protection of the cultural and ethnic integri- century will be the cen- Beijing's geopolitical influence. ic growth, stagnating population, declining another major issue which affects the rela- ty of the Euro-American societies by drasti- dispute. Terrorism is another major issue tury of Asia and the South Asia witnesses increasing econom- savings rates, huge Government deficits and tionship. The India-Pakistan relationship in cally restricting the number of immigrants Pacific'. ic progress. The challenge faced by this in many Western countries including the which affects the relationship. recent times has reached an all-time low. and refugees from non European countries. India-China rela- region is to sustain a high rate of growth United States, social aspects such as low Regional cooperation need not be hindered Western strategy to sustain it pre-eminent tions cannot usher in whilst making economic development more work ethics, family decay, drugs and crime. by bilateral controversies. The Government position also involves defining its interests as India and China, two economic power- the Asian Century until they make sincere inclusive to achieve a faster reduction in At present however, the West is overwhelm- of India should endeavour to turn SAARC the interests of the "world community", an houses of Asia are not only the key drivers of attempts at engendering shared views on poverty, illiteracy and deprivation. Regional ingly dominant. Western economies are still into an effective instrument of regional syn- euphemism which is meant to give global the economic renaissance that Asia is under- geopolitical objectives and threat percep- cooperation is a pivotal element for prosper- growing and the West is still the leader in the ergy and cooperation. field of science and technology. Neither the legitimacy to actions reflecting the interests going in the global economy but are central tions. Beijing's non-recognition of the ity in South Asia. The South Asian Associa- of the United States and other Western Pow- to redefining the global economic order and McMahon Line as the international border tion for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was (The writer is a former Union Minister) Dr. Etee Bahadur different sects as well. Inter-sectarian relations however have he reference to Baltistan as a region Being 'Balti' in the nation state of Pakistan changed and sectarianism has hit Baltistan has been found in the ancient first epic Tof King Gesar (Ling Gesar). Ptole- ina major way in the last few decades. Sen- my's also mentions a Byaltlae people. The ge H. Sering writes that Bomb blasts are ancient rock cut-inscriptions is evidence of A search for a Cultural Identity becoming a common method of sectarian an ancient thriving civilization in Baltistan. killing. He mentions of a bomb blast in 2009 Ladakh and Baltistan acquire a lot of change, as artisans (cobblers, ing of the current political conflict in Kash- Turtuk speak Balti. There are many scholars ment of the area of Gilgit-Baltistan, as it was in May in Baltistan and in Gilgit in July. The The Dards refer to Balti as Balor, the jewelers, masons, stone-cutters ) from other mir would reveal the political status of who work on different facets of the Balti 2009 that the Government of Pakistan fact that 300 more terrorists were expelled Arabs call it Baloristan and the Tibetans, parts of India settled in Skardu during this Baltistan and that the Baltis are mere specta- identity, Mohamad Hasnai also known as announced the creation of Gilgit-Baltistan, a from Gilgit in October 2008 would mean that Nang-Kod, it was Tibet-i-Khurd or Little time. Soon control over Kashmir passed on tor the in the entire electoral process The Gov- Singe Tsering popularizes the Balti language provincial autonomous region with Gilgit as its Taliban does have a presence in Gigit- Tibet in the medieval literature. The Bon and to the Afghans and then to the Sikhs, and the ernment of Pakistani has also terminated the and literature and restoration of the Balti capital and as Skardu and its largest city. Baltistan. This sort of Talibanization of the Balti people were the Tibetans and the Dogras of Jammu. State Subject Rule (SSR) which was enforced monuments also being another aspect of the Ethnicity still remains as one of the pow- Gilgit-Baltistan would thereby mean more Dardic people who were influenced cultur- It was till 1947 that the political history by the Dogra regime to protect socio-econom- efforts. erful cultural factors and it has also been the Shia casualties and more influx of the Tal- ally by Tibetan Buddhism. Baltistan was one of both of these areas, Ladakh and Baltistan ic rights of the citizens of Jammu and Kash- The Baltis would like to further their rela- source of many conflicts in the world. iban in the region this would certainly lead of the six regions of undivided Jammu and were fused together, the Ladakh Wazarat mir in 1960's in Baltistan. https://www.busi- tions with Ladakh as they have a similar cul- Each county embodies its own distinctive to change in the demographic profile of area. Kashmir. being divided into Leh, Kargil and Skardo ness-standard.com/ article/politics/laws-in- ture and language.