bdews24.com :
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “neighbourhood first” policy and speeches of making SAARC a strong regional bloc have raised hopes of collective gains for SAARC.
But a leading Nepal based think-tank foresees “an average” SAARC summit in Kathmandu in November, despite Modi’s push to activate the regional grouping.
“It’ll all depend on how he deals with Pakistan and what they (India, Pakistan) discuss,” Sunil KC, CEO and founder of the Asian Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs (AIDIA) based in Nepal told bdnews24.com.
India is the most influential member of the South Asia’s economic and political forum, SAARC, started functioning from 1985.
Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Afghanistan are the other members.
But analysts say the association has no collective gains to show for, which even its Secretary-General Arjun Bahadur Thapa in Apr during his Dhaka visit acknowledged. It “could not live up to its expectations”, he had said.
Modi came to power in May sending a strong message of working together with the SAARC countries by inviting all heads of states in his swearing-in ceremony, a step that Sunil KC termed “oath-diplomacy”
Later, he made his first overseas visit to a SAARC country Bhutan. He also visited Nepal in Aug. Modi also asked India’s space researchers to build a SAARC satellite as a gift of India.
“He (Modi) already proved him one of the best leaders of South Asia. He left a very good impression among the member countries with his beginning ‘oath diplomacy’,” Sunil KC toldbdnews24.com while visiting Dhaka last week.
“He wants to make India a global player that’s why he wants to make SAARC summit much more effective and better than the previous summit.
“He wants to make SAARC a South Asia Union like EU and wants one currency, one visa for all countries.
“But much of it will depend on how he deals with Pakistan and what kind of discussions he will have with Pakistan PM in Kathmandu,” he said “This (India-Pakistan relations) is the biggest challenge,” he believed.
The analyst says he is ready to say the upcoming summit “the best” if leaders initiate talks of making South Asia Union like the EU, instead of traditional economic and trade discussions.
“Just start talking about it. If we can think about one currency, one visa and then the true sense of connectivity can happen,” Sunil KC said. “But I do not think it’s going to happen in this summit. So it’ll be an average one (summit), not so good, so bad, let’s say average one”.
“Pakistan and India have their own big problem. But it became a problem for the whole South Asia. This should be addressed and supported by all other member counties”.
He also advised SAARC to be more inclusive and hear the voices of the people.
“They could keep at least one brainstorming session for the civil society and think-tanks to make it interesting, participatory.
“You have to put people at the centre for what the SAARC is. But they don’t take the voice of the people into account”.
Sunil KC was also a co-founder of Movement for Change-M4C, a civil society movement and one of the initiator of ‘Nepal Resolution Introduced in US Congress last year in Aug.
He also gives annual lecture at the Slovak Republic and Estonia universities on South Asia’s politics and foreign relations.
He believes giving China a SAARC membership can infuse dynamism in this grouping.
