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Is the Saarc Having a Future? - a Critical Review International Journal of Management and Applied Science, ISSN: 2394-7926 Volume-2, Issue-12, Dec.-2016 IS THE SAARC HAVING A FUTURE? - A CRITICAL REVIEW ANAND SAGAR Research Scholar, Department of Management, Shri Jagdishprasad Jhabarmal Tibrewala University, Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, India E-mail: [email protected] Abstract- Indian government’s initiatives and its diplomatic offensive have been able to isolate Pakistan on the world forum, including among SAARC Nations. Islamabad is exploring the possibility of creating a greater South Asian economic alliance to include China, Iran and neighbouring Central Asian countries. Pakistan described the China-Pakistan economic corridor as the key economic route linking South Asia with Central Asia. This was the first time that four countries, India, Afghanistan, Bhutan & Bangladesh announced to boycott a SAARC summit scheduled to be held in Islamabad in November, 2016. India’s announcement not attending the summit underlined the growing irrelevance of the SAARC for India’s regionalism. Irrespective of India’s future relations with Pakistan, the Indian government’s search for alternatives to SAARC acquired a new momentum. As SAARC seems to be heading for the mortuary, India should take initiatives and let the BIMSTEC leaders know that the meltdown of SAARC does not mean India is giving up the ambitions of its neighbor-hood first strategy. In this direction, giving the BIMSTEC a more attractive name “BOBCOM” (The Bay of Bengal Community? is already under way and if the negative attitude of Pakistan persists, hopefully India will be able to find an alternative to the SAARC and establish BOBCOM by isolating Pakistan. Index terms- SAARC, Summit, SAARC Nations, Boycott of Pakistan, Regional Cooperation, Islamabad, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, BIMSTEC, BOBCOM. I. INTRODUCTION II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE A day after India announced that it would not attend Shubhajit Roy & Yubaraj Ghimire (2016) A day the 19th SAARC summit in Islamabad in November, after India announced it will not attend the 19th 2016, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan also SAARC summit in Islamabad in November, conveyed their inability to attend the summit. All Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan have conveyed three countries, in different ways, blamed Pakistan to Nepal, the chair of SAARC, that they too will not for the then atmosphere and said that the atmosphere be able to attend the summit. All three countries, in was not conducive for the summit. This was the first different ways, blamed Pakistan for the current time that four countries announced to boycott a atmosphere and said it was not conducive for the SAARC summit. India’s announcement underlined summit. A formal announcement of the summit the growing irrelevance of the SAARC for India’s postponement will be made in Kathmandu in the next regionalism. Irrespective of India’s future relations few days, since key government interlocutors in with Pakistan, the Indian government’s search for Nepal are not present in Kathmandu. alternatives to SAARC acquired a new momentum. In a statement, the Nepal Foreign Ministry said: “The Indian government’s initiatives and its diplomatic government of Nepal has received communications offensive have been able to isolate Pakistan on the from the SAARC secretariat transmitting the world forum, especially among SAARC Nations. diplomatic notes from four SAARC member states Islamabad on the other hand is exploring the namely, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan and India possibility of creating a greater South Asian in which they have conveyed their inability to economic alliance by including China, Iran and participate in the 19th SAARC summit scheduled for neighbouring Central Asian countries. Pakistan even November 9 and 10 in Islamabad, stating that the described the China-Pakistan economic corridor as current regional environment is not conducive to the the key economic route linking South Asia with successful holding of the summit.” “We have taken Central Asia. Pakistan announced that The Gwadar this development seriously. As the current chair of port would be the nearest warm water port, not only SAARC, the government of Nepal strongly urges that for China but also for the land-locked Central Asian a conducive environment be created for the 19th countries. SAARC summit soon by ensuring the participation of all member states in line with the spirit of the SAARC may be headed to the mortuary, but India SAARC charter,” the Ministry stated. should take initiatives to play a bigger role and let the BIMSTEC leaders know that the meltdown of In its letter to the SAARC secretariat, Bangladesh SAARC does not mean India is giving up the said, “The growing interference in the internal affairs ambitions of its neighbor-hood first strategy. of Bangladesh by one country has created an environment which is not conducive to the successful hosting of the 19th SAARC Summit in Islamabad in Is the Saarc Having a Future? - A Critical Review 1 International Journal of Management and Applied Science, ISSN: 2394-7926 Volume-2, Issue-12, Dec.-2016 November 2016.” “Bangladesh, as initiator of the become the champion and guardian of the trans- SAARC process, remains steadfast in its commitment border China-Pakistan economic corridor. to regional cooperation, connectivity and contacts but believes that these can only go forward in a more Shubhajit Roy (2016) EVEN AS the Indian congenial atmosphere. In view of the above, government feels that its diplomatic offensive to Bangladesh is unable to participate in the proposed isolate Pakistan is yielding dividends, Islamabad is Summit in Islamabad.” Pakistan has been critical of exploring the possibility of creating a greater South the war crimes trial in Bangladesh, initiated by Asian economic alliance to include China, Iran and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and has neighbouring Central Asian countries. Pakistan’s repeatedly criticised Dhaka for the hanging of move to counter India’s dominance in the region was Jamaat-e-Islami leaders. In fact, Bangladesh did not reported by Dawn newspaper on Wednesday. send its Home Minister for the SAARC Interior Pakistan’s diplomatic sources confirmed the move to Ministers’ meeting in Islamabad last month, which The Indian Express on Wednesday. “India is in a was attended by Home Minister Rajnath Singh. fictional paradise and it wants to isolate Pakistan. It is underestimating Pakistan’s geo-economic location… C. Raja Mohan (2016) Prime Minister Narendra countries and partners are queueing up to take Modi’s decision to skip the South Asian summit in advantage of its economic potential,” said a source. Islamabad next month is, in essence, about the The Dawn report said a parliamentary delegation deteriorating relationship with Pakistan. It also from Pakistan, which is now in New York, pitched underlines the growing irrelevance of the South Asian the idea during its five-day visit to Washington last Association of Regional Cooperation for India’s week. “A greater South Asia is emerging,” regionalism. Irrespective of India’s future relations Pakistan’s senator, Mushahid Hussain Syed, was with Pakistan, the Modi government’s search for quoted as saying. “This greater South Asia includes alternatives to SAARC will now acquire a new China, Iran and the neighbouring Central Asian momentum. For too long, India had conflated its republics,” he said. regionalism with SAARC that was established three decades ago at the initiative of Bangladesh. While He described the China-Pakistan economic corridor Delhi and Islamabad were both wary of the move in as the key economic route linking South Asia with the mid-1980s, it was the inward economic Central Asia. The Gwadar port, Syed said, would be orientation of the Subcontinent that limited the nearest warm water port, not only for China but possibilities for regional cooperation. As the also for the land-locked Central Asian countries. “We Subcontinent launched economic reforms in the want India to join this arrangement as well,” said 1990s, regional integration appeared a natural Syed. consequence waiting to happen. As the South Asian states opened up to the world, it seemed sensible to With Pakistan being isolated in SAARC — it was connect with each other. But that was not how it forced to postpone the summit in November after four turned out. countries, led by India, pulled out — this is being seen in New Delhi as a counter move by Pakistan’s India, on its part, inched towards accepting establishment. Indian government sources told The regionalism as an economic and political necessity. Indian Express that terrorism remains a concern for The SAARC, in turn, began to emphasise trade all countries in the region, and Pakistan earlier tried liberalisation, regional connectivity and trans-border to bring in China into the SAARC process but was economic projects. South Asia sought to evolve, not successful. “If Pakistan continues to be selective much in the manner that the Association of South against terror groups, how many countries will go East Asian Nations had stitched itself together two there,” said a source. The news report quoted decades earlier. As SAARC developed new diplomatic observers in Washington as saying that the proposals and agreements in favour of preferential proposed arrangement also suits China as it is worried trade, free trade, road and rail connectivity and cross- about India’s rapidly growing influence in the region. border energy projects, it became clear that Pakistan was the camel that slowed down the pace of the South N.S.Venkataraman (2016) The recent cancellation Asian caravan. More accurately, it was the Pakistan of the 19th summit of South Asian Association for Army headquartered in Rawalpindi that exercised the Regional Cooperation ( SAARC )that was scheduled veto. It was not that the Pakistan army was against to take place in Islamabad on November, 15 and 16, the idea of regional cooperation. At a moment when has led to serious doubts as to whether SAARC can SAARC was being formed in the mid-1980s, fulfill it’s objectives and remain as a useful forum Pakistan set up the Economic Cooperation that would be beneficial to the eight nations that are Organisation (ECO) with Iran and Turkey.
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