SAARC and Pakistan, Challenges, Prospect,

A failed Organization
 The plan to establish an organization in South Asia on the lines
of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was
proposed by a former President of Bangladesh, Mr Zia-ur-
Rehman, who discussed it with the heads of states of South
Asian nations during 1977-79. Later on, he sent a formal letter
to all South Asian states proposing the formation of a South
Asian regional organization in 1980.
 The Charter of the Association was devised at the Delhi
Conference of Foreign Ministers on 1 August 1983 and was
adopted at the First Summit meeting in Dhaka on 7-8
December 1985. This marked the official formation of the
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc).
 Other countries in this region include Pakistan’s arch rival India,
Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives and Bhutan. These countries
are also part of a bloc called SAARC (South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation). While Afghanistan was included as full
member in 2006, Iran, China and Myanmar are seeking full member
status in the bloc. After Sub Saharan Africa, South Asia is the
poorest region in the world with a large percentage of the
population living below the poverty line. Quarter of the world’s
poor population is living in Africa while half is in South Asia alone.
South Asia is amongst the least integrated region in the world
according to a World Bank report published in 2007. In South Asia,
trade amongst the countries is only 2% of the region’s combined
GDP while on the other hand in East Asia it is 20%.
 Objectives of the Organization
• The objectives of Saarc, as stipulated in its
Charter are: to promote welfare of the people
of South Asia; to strengthen cooperation with
other developing countries; to enhance
cooperation among themselves in
international forums on matters of common
interest; and to cooperate with international
regional organizations with similar aims and
purposes.
 Achievements
 One of its major achievements is the Saarc Convention on Suppression of
Terrorism. The Convention, signed during the Third Saarc Summit in Kathmandu
in 1987, was further consolidated with the establishment of Saarc Terrorist
Offences Monitoring Desk (STOMD) in Colombo in 1995. Also, Saarc Convention
on Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances was adopted in 1990.
 Taking some crucial steps towards poverty alleviation, Saarc Food Security
Reserve known as ‘The Saarc Food Bank’ was established. Moreover, with an aim
to promote a regional dimension of cooperation in social sector, Saarc countries
adopted Social Charter during the Twelfth Saarc Summit in Islamabad in 2004.
The idea of the Social Charter was floated during the Tenth Saarc Summit in
1998. Social Charter aimed to provide a practical platform for concerted,
coherent and complementary action in determining social priorities, improving
the structure and content of social policies and programmes, ensuring greater
efficiency in the utilization of national, regional and external resources and in
enhancing the equity and sustainability of social programmes and the quality of
living conditions of their beneficiaries.
 The steps taken towards facilitating people-to-people contacts have been successful,
including Saarc Audio-Visual Exchange Programme, Saarc Chairs, Fellowships and
Scholarship schemes.
 In the field of education, the Member States cooperate through the forums of
SACODiL (SAARC Consortium on Open and Distance Learning), and Heads of
Universities Grants Commission/Equivalent Bodies.
 Saarc Visa Exemption Scheme that was launched during the 1992 Islamabad Summit.
Currently, the list comprises 24 categories of entitled persons, including dignitaries,
judges of higher courts, parliamentarians, senior officials, businessmen, journalists
and sportsmen.
 The most impressive achievement of Saarc, however, was the adoption of South
Asian Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA). The decision to establish SAPTA was
taken during Sixth Saarc summit in Colombo in 1991 while the agreement in this
regard was signed on 11 April 1993 and it came into effect in 1995. SAPTA has been
superseded by the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) agreement which was signed
during the Twelfth Saarc summit in 2004 and came into effect on 1st January 2006.
 Another breakthrough development for which Saarc owes accolades is the
establishment of South Asian University (SAU). The idea of SAU was mooted by the
former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the 13th Saarc summit in 2005
and the agreement in this regard was signed during the 14th Saarc Summit in 2007.
The University has a temporary campus in the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New
Delhi and its first session commenced in 2010.
 Saarc Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and the Foundation of Saarc Writers
and Literature (FOSWAL) have been proactive in promoting regional cooperation and
people-to-people contacts in respective domains.
 Other areas of cooperation cover: agriculture and rural development; health and
population activities; women, youth and children; environment and forestry, science
and technology and meteorology; transport and human resource development.
Working groups have also been established in the areas of: Information and
Communications Technology (ICT); biotechnology; intellectual property rights (IPR);
tourism; and energy.
 In addition, three new regional centres covering Culture, Coastal Zone Management,
and Information are being established.
 Limitations/Challenges
 the Saarc Secretariat does not enjoy greater autonomy that it
should in order to take initiatives towards enhancing regional
cooperation. To expand Saarc’s outreach and materialize the
already-taken initiatives, the Secretariat needs to be expanded
and strengthened.
 Although Article X of Saarc Charter clearly stipulates that bilateral
disputes should be excluded from Saarc deliberations, at times
activities of Saarc, especially annual summits have been
hampered due to bilateral conflicts between member states,
especially Pakistan and India. For instance, the Eleventh Saarc
Summit scheduled to be held in November 1999, was postponed
on India’s request due to the advent of military regime in
Pakistan.
 Naturally, the strained political ties between India and Pakistan have a dire
impact on the economies of both countries which, in turn, has been an
impediment to smooth implementation of SAFTA.
 There are differing views on the issues, obstacles and challenges that mar the
smooth running of Saarc. Creation of South Asian identity across the region
remains to be one of the challenges for the Association. In this regard, diversity
in South Asian societies is considered and dubbed as one of the ‘negative’
aspect influencing the process of integration in South Asia.
 Afghanistan is important for another reason. Given the devastation caused
there by war for over two decades and the role the country has acquired in any
policy in the region to check terrorism, no move to pacify and conciliate South
Asia is feasible without Afghanistan’s active participation in it.
 Terrorism allegations.
 Territorial disputes.
 Water Disputes
Future of SAARC and Pakistan
Designated SAARC Years
Home » About SAARC » Designated SAARC Years

SAARC Year of Combating Drug Abuse

1989
and Drug Trafficking
1990 SAARC Year of Girl Child
1991 SAARC Year of Shelter
1992 SAARC Year of Environment
1993 SAARC Year of Disabled Persons
1994 SAARC Year of the Youth
1995 SAARC Year of Poverty Eradication
1996 SAARC Year of Literacy

1997 SAARC Year of Participatory Governance

1999 SAARC Year of Biodiversity

SAARC Year of Contribution of Youth to
2002-2003
Environment
SAARC Awareness Year for TB and
2004
HIV/AIDS
2006 South Asia Tourism Year
2007 Green South Asia Year