SAARC
SAARC The SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) is an economic and political organisation that was established in December 1985. It has eight members- India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan and recently Afghanistan. It aims to promote the welfare of the peoples of South Asia and to improve their quality of life through accelerated economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region. Cooperation in the SAARC is based on respect for the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, political independence, non interference in internal affairs of the member States Decisions are taken on the basis of unanimity. Bilateral and contentious issues such as Kashmir or the Sri Lankan civil war are excluded from the deliberations of SAARC. However, during the 13th summit, emphasis was laid on greater cooperation between members to fight terrorism. Over the years, members have expressed unwillingness to sign free trade agreements due to political and economic concerns. However, the Agreement on the South Asian Free Trade Area was finally reached at the 12th SAARC summit at Islamabad, Pakistan on 6 January 2004. It creates a framework for the creation of a free trade area covering 1.4 billion people in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan and the Maldives. China has expressed desire to join SAARC, though India is against this as its membership will undermine India’s presence. SAARC has come under criticism for not doing enough to promote economic integration. Also SAARC’s relevance, especially for India has been criticised The growing India-ASEAN economic linkages, the improved bilateral India-Myanmar and India-Thai relations as a result of India’s look east policy, and the continued stagnation in India’s relations with both Pakistan and Bangladesh are some of reasons SAARC’s relevance for India has been questioned. Matters of national security and domestic problems of the member nations hinder the promotion of the region’s development.
