Interdependence has stimulated the creation of international organisations in this world of globalisation and countries continue to come together to use this institutional framework as a means of promoting co-operation in social, economic and political spheres.
Today there is no part of the world that is not covered by an international organisation of one kind or the other.
Our region, the South Asia, though late, has not missed the opportunity altogether. Following, or lingering in the worse terms, the same suit of regional organisations, South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation was formed in Dhaka.
The capital city of Bangladesh on 8th of December 1985. It is worth mentioning here the services rendered by Zia-ur--Rehman, President of Bangladesh at that time, and the husband of the ruling Prime Minister, Mrs Khalida Zia, whose initiative in this regard was proved as an active stimulus for the establishment of this first-ever regional organisation of much volatile South Asia.
However, this is very obvious to the students of international relations that the idea of SAARC came from the neighbouring Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), a regional governmental organisation, established in 1960's, among pro-American States of South East Asia, primarily to deter the Soviet influence during the cold war.
This organisation, nevertheless, in the post-cold war period, transformed itself into a beneficial co-operative agency, especially in the fields of trade and economics among the South East Asian States. Coming back to pavilion, SAARC did not prove itself a true replica of the ASEAN, as it was desired at the time of its establishment.
Throughout its 20 years of continued existence and functioning, the SAARC has been subject to various criticisms concerning its ability to achieve its assigned goals.
Intensification and enhancement of disputes, ranging from border to trade issues; a condemning mutual mistrust among member States; and the much fearful rising poverty, for inhibiting more then 60 percent of world poor, are ground realities in the region of SAARC, which was formed to promote peace, stability and economic co-operation and to eradicate poverty from the region as its major objectives.
As ending its teen age and entering into a rather mature corridor, SAARC needs revamping in a changed global scenario. There are different factors of obstruction in the performance of SAARC. Indo-centricism is the primary one.
The possession of almost 77 percent of total population and 70 percent of total area by one member State, viz. India, in SAARC's beat, resulted in an imbalanced structure of the organisation.
Besides being such an overwhelming political and economic variable, however, the major obstacle lies in her expansionist plans and hegemonic desires in the region.
Almost every State in the region has a variety of disagreements, ranging from territorial issues to the water disputes with India. The net result is a puzzle like situation where Indo-centric foreign policies and Indo-related disputes halted the way of mutual co-operation in the South Asian region.
The balance of structure in SAARC's organisation is indeed the only panacea for overcoming this deficiency syndrome. This may be achieved by inclusion of some neighbouring rich and powerful States under the organisational umbrella.
The recent move in the 13th SAARC annual conference, held in Dhaka on November 12 and 13 this year, to include China and Japan as observers of the organisation is a positive, though slow, step towards the right direction.
Following the deterrence policy, though Pakistan made every effort to make China a full member or at least a dialogue-partner, a near member-like status, in the organisation, to efficaciously control the Indian monopoly. On the other hand, India, with a quiet diplomacy, tried its best to halt China's entry in SAARC to maintain status quo, which was in her own favour.
She was, yet, only partially successful when in the last declaration, China was granted an observer status in the organisation along with Japan. This decision, nevertheless, is a harbinger for a better time to come in the performance of this so far ill-fated organisation.
It would act as a milestone towards ending the basic fault line ie the Indo-centricism from the apparatus and operation of the organisation.
The membership or observer status of Japan, however, is strange, even peculiar to some extent. Geographically situated thousands of miles away from South Asia in the Asia Pacific region, Japan has no direct link with this organisation comprising solely of nations of South Asia.
We can rationalise here the case of China rather, because she has direct borders with four out of seven SAARC members, viz. Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bhutan, and has played always an active role in the South Asian politics. Personally I perceive a hidden Indian stimulus behind this move.
There is an open contest in monopolising economics as well as politics between Japan and China in contemporary Asia. It seems that by taking advantage of this competitive atmosphere, India pushed Japan to deter the upcoming Chinese deterrence or to counter-balance the Pakistani move for the expansion of SAARC.
The second Indian impetus, most probably lies here, is to attain the blessing of US by including Japan, a close American ally in Asia, to contain her close competitor, China, in the continental politics.
This argument got strength by a recent development that South Korea, another loyal American state of Far East, showed keen interest and requested for the membership of SAARC, just after one week of Chinese and Japanese inclusion at the Dhaka summit.
This application will be considered by the SAARC members in their annual conference of foreign ministers next year. Pakistan should, however, welcome all these inclusions as they will be helpful in diminishing the appearance of the organisation as mere one-man show and will broaden the vision of the organisational operations from narrower South Asian concerns to an expanded Asian consideration.
Afghanistan was granted a full-fledged membership at the 13th SAARC conference held in Dhaka. Thus, she became the eighth member of the organisation. Though some Pakistani writers showed their concern in this matter and argued that Pakistan should oppose the move, apparently taken by the Indian camp, for the inclusion of Afghanistan in the organisation.
According to their point of view by making Afghanistan a SAARC member, Islamabad "is giving New Delhi an ally on a silver platter." As a student as well a teacher of International Relations I have a personal point of view, completely dissident from the above-mentioned one.
Neither we are living in a world of bipolar tussle, nor Afghanistan has the capability to recycle the cold war episodes. Moreover, there is no Soviet Union here beckoning the Afghan rulers to ignite the issues of Pushtoonistan or Greater Balochistan, which they did in the Cold War atmosphere to harm Pakistan and Iran respectively.
The ground reality is that in the past two decades of 1980's and 1990's, starting from Afghan Jihad against Soviet occupation upto the Taleban regime, Pakistan got an undeniable inside influence in the Afghan politics. It was further acknowledged by world superpower, United States of America, by starting operation against al Qaeda and Taleban in Afghanistan with the help of Pakistan.
The fact is that for any government, sitting in Kabul, it is essential to opt for a favourable or at least a neutral policy vis-à-vis Pakistan. The Afghan rulers cannot take a risk on stability of their government, nor can they get a No Objection Certificate from their Big Masters, sitting in Washington, to act as a "Potential Enemy" of Pakistan.
Summing up all discussion, Pakistan should welcome Afghanistan, our neighbouring Muslim country in SAARC, which contains, after the new entry, half of its members from the Islamic World, ie Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives and Afghanistan.
Another worth mentioning development that occurred in recent years in the SAARC's performance is the establishment of South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) which was signed in 12th annual SAARC conference in January 2004, held in Islamabad. It was agreed upon there that this accord would be implemented from January 1st, 2006.
Hitherto, SAARC members have a marginal 8-10 percent mutual trade. Though in the recent Dhaka round all SAARC state representatives, including India, reiterated their motive to enforce SAFTA in full, no serious efforts so far are being made to resolve some very sensitive disputes in the field of mutual trade, which may cause a delay in implementation of the accord in full.
The primary issue here again is the Indian economic hegemony in the region. With the exception of Pakistan and Maldives, India is the major trade partner, or trade master in the real sense, among the South Asian countries.
Small and poor countries of the region, who are still facing gigantic trade deficit vis-à-vis India are frightened of the moment when duties will become much less, according to SAFTA regulations. Duties are the only barrier so far to halt Indian cheaper goods and to boost their indigenous industrial and agricultural sector.
Pakistan, which has not given the status of MFN (Most Favoured Nation) to India hitherto, and doing trade with India with a marginal ratio is even facing a trade deficit of about 259 million dollars for the year 2004-2005. In this year her imports from India are worth 547 and exports to India worth 288 million dollars respectively. But the situation is worse for other South Asian countries.
For Example Bangladesh's imports from India in the year 2004-2005 are worth 2 billion dollars and exports to India, worth 100 million dollars, thus by creating a severe trade deficit annually, in favour of India. It is the need of the hour to establish a standing committee with immediate effect, comprising all the trade ministers of the SAARC countries which may devise regulations for free trading in South Asia and also resolve all disputed trade issues among the member countries.
Trade has become an effective instrument for measuring the nature of relationship among the States. In the contemporary world, warring states are lessening their "trust deficit" by decreasing it among them.
Widening the area of influence by increasing membership of Afghanistan, permitting the two Asian economic giants, China and Japan, to act as observers in the organisation and, most of all, tending towards establishment of a free trade area in the region are symptoms of maturity in the performance and development of SAARC.
If this journey continue against all odds then one can be optimistic about a peaceful and prosperous South Asia in the near future.
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