In a recent meeting held in Islamabad, Secretary General Ambassador Golam, emphasised on the need for a change in approach. He stated that effectiveness of the institution was highly dependent on the commitment and devotion of the countries in SAARC. These include Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri-Lanka). SAARC stands for South Asian Association for regional Cooperation. The official aim it states is “to promote the welfare of the peoples of South Asia and to improve their quality of life; to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region and to provide all individuals the opportunity to live in dignity and to realise their full potentials. To strengthen cooperation with other developing countries and to cooperate with international and regional organisations with similar aims and purposes.” Correspondingly in order to meet these objectives, the countries in SAARC must align their efforts.
Dialogue in the meeting about SAARC
In relation to this, the Secretary General pointed out the improving relations between Pakistan and India as a benefit. Additionally the positive attitude of the two countries towards SAARC could possibly become the “ice-breaker”,Golam claimed. Furthermore, the general discussed some previous progress in areas like climate change, improving public health, and advancing women and youth development etc. that could further be worked on. President of the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS), Ambassador Jauhar Saleem stated that “Pakistan is fully committed to the SAARC vision and has remained steadfast in promoting the SAARC objectives”.
He further expressed some points of contention. Firstly pointing out the lack of media coverage to SAARC’s developments. He put forth the solution of reviving the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) to counter this. Secondly he discussed a need to move past formal declarations and earnestly work towards advancing SAARC’s people-focused agenda. This could include efforts such as agriculture, medical cooperation, tourism, media cooperation, and women and youth development.
