Saarc at 40 |
FOUR decades ago, the leaders of seven states came together in Dhaka to sign the charter of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. But 40 years after the fact, Saarc remains an unfulfilled dream, marked more by lost potential than any significant achievement in improving regional integration. What could have been an EU- or Asean-like grouping has largely failed to deliver on its promise of promoting the “welfare of the peoples of South Asia”.
Both President Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, to mark Saarc Charter Day on Dec 8, reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to Saarc and to work with “all willing states” to improve regional trade. But the fact remains........