People's Democracy

EDITORIAL

  SAARC: Welcome Developments

THE adoption of Islamabad Declaration and the agreement on South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA), along with the protocol on elimination of poverty and a social charter, represent a major success for the SAARC summit. After a bumpy journey ever since its inception 19 years ago, the SAARC at Islamabad has shown, contrary to the mixed signals in the build-up to the summit, its relevance.

The South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is a seven-member grouping of countries who together have more than 1.3 billion people; this represents 22 per cent of the world’s population. But the combined gross national product (GNP) of these countries is less than 2 per cent of the world GNP. Tackling poverty, therefore, has to be the prime concern of SAARC countries. Born in 1985, the aims spelt out in the SAARC charter states, "promote the well-being of the populations of South Asia and improve their standard of living; to speed up economic growth, social progress and cultural development; to reinforce links between the countries of this area; and, lastly, to promote mutual collaboration and assistance in the economic, social, cultural technical and scientific fields."

When the SAARC was formed, no agreement was envisaged for a free trade treaty or a preferential agreement. It was only ten years later, in 1995, that the South Asian Preferential Trade Arrangement (SAPTA) came into force. The coming into force of SAPTA saw lessened commercial discrimination and has in fact contributed not only to increased trade between SAARC countries but also to moving towards the SAFTA. Increasing poverty, growing rural-urban disparities, lags in social sectors like health and education, deteriorating condition of women, social discrimination, etc, are all features that are common to the SAARC countries. Added to this is the grim fate facing the unemployed in all these countries.  While the signing of the SAFTA is a positive development, and will usher into an era of increased trade and cooperation, individual states need to reorient their policies and refashion their priorities in order to achieve the goal of improved standard of living and social progress. This in turn would mean a reversal of the policies being currently pursued.

Unlike the European Union, the ASEAN or the NAFTA, the SAFTA countries have a shared history and heritage. The tensions between India and Pakistan have tended to cast their shadow over the yearly summit meetings. The SAARC platform was often used for mudslinging. This time too, the media were full of stories about who would be attending the summit and who would not and what would or would happen on the sidelines. Petty issues were blown out of proportion. Finally, the Indian prime minister did go to Islamabad and did meet the Pakistan president and prime minister.

The positive signals that emanate from the SAARC summit have been overshadowed by the equally significant outcome of the meetings between Prime Minister Vajpayee and his Pakistani counterpart Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali and President Musharraf. Though no bilateral discussions were scheduled, the meetings between the leaders of the two neighbouring states took place in the background of the host of measures that both countries have taken in the immediate past, aimed at easing tensions. The resumption of the Delhi-Lahore-Delhi bus service, the resumption of air links, the agreement on resuming the Samjhauta Express and the proposed re-opening of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad route and a road link from Rajasthan to Sindh province are all measures that have contributed in no small measure to the progress achieved in Islamabad. Notwithstanding the fact that the existing road, rail and air links between the two countries were suspended by the Indian government consequent to the terrorist attacks including the one on parliament, the resumption of these services will bring relief and respite to the people of both countries. Both India and Pakistan have expressed the hope that the positive trends set by these measures would be consolidated. The assertion to carry this process of normalisation forward, as expressed in the agreement to commence a composite dialogue in February 2004, is welcome.

People’s aspirations and electoral compulsions apart, a lot of pressure is being exerted by the United States. The US, which does not want to be seen as favouring either of its allies, is keen that both countries come to an agreement at the earliest. Both countries have given up the preconditions for resumption of the dialogue. India’s non-insistence on stoppage to cross-border terrorism as a precondition for talks and Pakistan’s non-insistence on the centrality of the Kashmir issue led to the announcement about resumption of the dialogue.

As opposed to the BJP-led government’s inconsistency, the CPI(M) has consistently been advocating resumption of talks between the two countries for the sake of peaceful resolution of all outstanding issues. The joint statement has generated new enthusiasm and heightened expectations. It is upto the governments in both these countries to pay heed to the people’s aspirations and rebuff any attempt by hawks on both sides to derail the process. Political forces and people on both sides will have to maintain pressure to see that the momentum generated by the joint statement is carried forward to its logical conclusion.

Nobody assumes that half a century of hostility and distrust will be undone at one go. Unlike the Lahore bus trip and the Agra talks which had let down the peoples of both countries yearning for peace, we hope that the proposed resumption of the dialogue in February will pave the way for better understanding and increased bilateral ties and normalisation of relations. This is the yearning of the people of both countries.