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 SAARC may have been created with noble intentions and a sincere commitment to forging regional peace and prosperity but 25 years down the road, it is still groping for direction.
The sixteenth summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, held in Thimpu, Bhutan on the 28-29 April 2010, was convened not only to provide another opportunity for diplomatic deadlock but also to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of this regional body - which is more an embarrassment rather than a success. In an alternate universe, a quarter century may seem ample time to embark on unhindered regional cooperation or address extreme poverty. But not here. SAARC, a regional body representing 1.6 billion people has little to show for its 25 years of existence.
Timeline
Dec 1985 - The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was born with the signing of the Charter by the Heads of Government of the seven states namely India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives.
Nov 1990 - SAARC TB Centre (STC) came into existence after the member countries of SAARC voted for it.
Oct 1991 - SAARCLAW was established with a view to promoting closer cooperation, and exchange of ideas among lawyers, judges, jurists and law teachers in the SAARC countries.
Dec 1992 - SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) was established with its headquarters in Karachi and national units in all seven SAARC countries with the aim of promoting regional cooperation trade.
Apr 1993 - The SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA) was signed by all seven SAARC countries at the Seventh SAARC Summit held in Dhaka with a view to promote trade and economic cooperation in the region.
Jan 2002 - Katmandu hosted the most controversial 11th Summit after it was earlier postponed on Indian insistence.
Jan 2004 - 12th Summit was held where the countries agreed on many important issues including South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) agreement, the 43-point Islamabad Declaration and South Asian Additional Protocol for containing terrorism in the region.
Feb 2005 - Furor was caused when the 13th SAARC summit was postponed after India announced that it would not be able to attend it due to security concerns and political situation in the 'neighborhood'.
July 2006 - The SAFTA agreement came into effect and aimed at boosting regional trade among the SAARC countries.
April 2007 - SAARC welcomed the entry of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan into SAARC at the Fourteenth Summit meeting in India.
Apr 2010 - The world watched as the kingdom of Bhutan held the 16th SAARC Summit for the first time in the 25 year old history of the Association.
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Examining the economic history of SAARC one would expect some groundbreaking changes and if you wish to settle for less, then maybe some miniscule efforts towards free trade would also suffice. Don't be surprised though, disappointment should be a common reaction by now. The SAARC Preferential Agreement (SAPTA) was signed during the Seventh Summit with an agenda to enhance mutual trade and economic cooperation throughout the region. This was the first step towards creating an economic union, the idea of which was inked on paper during the Tenth SAARC Summit. This idea, which transformed into the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA), was signed during the Twelfth SAARC Summit.
The declaration incorporated cooperation in a host of fields ranging from human development to energy, and Telecom to IT. It provides Bhutan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka - the Least Developed countries - with differential treatments in regard to trade. However, all economic efforts have been a classic case of 'all talk, no action.' Cross-border liberalization has been prey to heavy tariffs emanating specifically from India and Pakistan. It is estimated that if the two were to reduce their tariffs from 20 percent to 0-5 percent, intraregional trade within SAARC could rise to more than $20 billion as opposed to the $5 billion at which is stands presently. Prime Minister Singh's vision of an integrated South Asia is, however, taking shape, independent of SAARC. Illegal immigrants, pirated DVDs, Indian films and other smuggled goods are the real pictures of regional trade despite the many barriers.
The recent gathering of leaders in Bhutan also welcomed the proposal for strengthening the role of the private sector in regional initiatives. This move is anticipated to reach out to a fresh cross section of the South Asian community - in particular the students, youth, private media, think tanks, civil society and economic development institutions. Additionally 2010-2020 has also been declared the decade of Intra-regional Connectivity in SAARC. With 25 years under the belt, effective implementation still remains questionable.
Aside from the biggest story that focused on the prime ministers of India and Pakistan going on a stroll, was the involvement of China as an observer state. China, that secured this status in 2004, finally made its 'friendly' presence known. It proposed to invite senior South Asian diplomats to China in 2011, host a South Asian commodity fair, hold China - South Asia business and cultural forums apart from contributing $300 million to the SAARC Development Fund. China's involvement in SAARC, is of crucial importance as it now presents India with competition. Despite commanding only 'observer' status, China will undoubtedly have a say in regional cooperation and policies. Additionally, smaller countries will no longer find themselves at the mercy of Indian financial support but will be able to shrewdly play the diplomacy card to secure monetary contributions. It is too early to predict whether China will eventually be admitted into SAARC as a member but regional and global politics will certainly take an interesting twist as the India-China rivalry serves as the cherry on the India-Pakistan cake.
Given the previous economic failures and the diplomatic deadlocks that have characterized the quarter century of SAARC's existence, it is no surprise then that Bhutan chose 'Climate Change' as the theme of the summit. Learning from past failures, one can only assume that she may have decided to save SAARC some respect by playing a new card, and hoping for a ground breaking agreement towards a ‘Green and Happy South Asia.' Dreams are after all, free therapy.
Arsla Jawaid is Assistant Editor at SouthAsia Magazine. She holds a B.A in International Relations, with a focus on foreign policy and security studies, from Boston University.
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