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Threat to regional amity

With another SAARC Heads of State and Government Summit round the corner, hopes should be high in many a South Asian breast that regional peace and amity will be high on the grouping's agenda. Unfortunately, despite functioning for more than two decades, SAARC has not been able to lay a firm foundation for complete regional peace.

It has also failed to contain within manageable limits, inter-state squabbling and divisive friction.

Hopefully, the upcoming Kathmandu meet will make a fresh attempt at grappling with these problems and seek ways and means of resolving them. This is an undertaking of the utmost urgency because Indo-Pakistani relations have, once again, plummeted in the wake of the recent terror attack on the Indian parliamentary complex in New Delhi.

The unfortunate incident has unleashed a volley of accusations with India even reportedly threatening to attack some targets within Pakistani territory in retaliation for the terror onslaught. If these threats are translated into action we are likely to witness counter-strikes which may snowball into a military confrontation between India and Pakistan. Need we say that such a situation would bode ill for the whole of South Asia ?

India and Pakistan are the principal powers of South Asia and there cannot be peace and economic progress in this region without friction-free relations between these regional giants. As long as India and Pakistan remain on a collision course, the SAARC region wouldn't experience the fruits of peace and development because they can make or mar the future of South Asia by virtue of their economic, military and political muscle.

Their importance is further underscored by the fact that they are now nuclear-capable.

The principal issue dividing India and Pakistan is Kashmir. As long as this problem remains unresolved we are likely to see confrontation and conflict between the states.

The Kashmir issue has defied resolution for decades and we are unlikely to see an end to it in the short or medium term. India and Pakistan could, however, hope for a long-term solution to the problem based on their mutual interests which are likely to centre on closer economic, cultural and political ties.

An improvement in relations between India and Pakistan would have a spill-over effect on the region because a more salubrious climate would be created region-wide for stepped-up economic and other forms of cooperation among South Asian states.

However, continued bickering between these powerful South Asian states would undermine the SAARC exercise and get in the way of cooperative efforts among the region's countries. It is up to India and Pakistan, then, to make every effort to resolve their differences in their own and SAARC's interests. Rather than be egged on by extremist voices, these regional giants would do well to get down to the path of dialogue and negotiations and make peace rather than seek confrontation.

It is also up to SAARC to explore all available means to bring India and Pakistan to the path of negotiations and peace. The mechanisms should be created by SAARC to enable squabbling countries to resolve their differences amicably. SAARC should take on itself a peace-maker role.

• Editorial of  The Observer - 18.12.2001:
  Tiger talk 

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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