Should SAARC Regain Momentum or Move with Alternatives?

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) came into being on 8 December 1985 in Dhaka on the premise of regional cooperation, economic development and mutual understanding amongst the countries of South Asia. This idea had been around for a number of decades as a result of regional cooperation talks and had been championed strongly by Bangladesh, especially under the presidency of Ziaur Rahman. Currently, SAARC member states include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, which together account for almost one-fifth of the world's total population. However, this organisation is currently at a very critical juncture four decades after its inception. Despite possessing immense demographic, economic, and strategic capabilities, the organisation has not conducted any summits following the 18th summit held in Kathmandu in 2014 owing to political issues between India and Pakistan. It has also hampered regional cooperation and integration. Nonetheless, the problems of poverty, climate change, unemployment, disaster management, public health crises, and security threats pose an imperative need for regional cooperation and collaboration within South Asia.

The inhabitants of South Asia, like any other people, usually want peace, jobs, education, and opportunities, not war. Enhancing regional connectivity in terms of commerce, transportation, energy projects, tourism, and academia would do wonders for improving ordinary citizens' lives. In this era of technology diffusion and ubiquitous media, “Youth Bulge” made a new generation, namely Gen “Z”. They can challenge any legitimate government. Bangladesh and Nepal are the classical examples of power projections of Gen Z. They succeeded as elderly citizens continuously had to bow their heads to the “iron law of oligarchy" of rulers as described by German-born Italian sociologist Robert Michels in 1911. Possibly the power of the youth and manifestations around it are not discernible to most, and negligence on it may yield further disaster, resulting in the creation of “failed states". SAARC countries need immediate addressing of the security issues. The militaries of Bangladesh and Nepal have shown their sacrifice for "democracy" and the people’s judgement from July-August 2024 to date.

No doubt, among the SAARC members, some countries have contentious issues with all their neighbours in various timelines. Today young generation aspires to move around the world without prejudice, like enjoying liberty to read and speak. Therefore, if India-Pakistan or any other country is not currently interested in reviving SAARC for any reason, the remaining member states should continue dialogues and cooperation among themselves while keeping the door open for future participation. Regional cooperation should not come to a standstill because of the reservations of any single country or countries. To meet the needs of the people of the SAARC countries, routine meetings and summits must continue like a train moves to its destination on time. However, we may accept the willingness of any country as observers, especially the P5 countries. We are aware that, under SAARC's existing rules, formal summit meetings generally require consensus among all member states, which must be reviewed and made flexible.

By all means, it must move with its aforementioned vision and mission. Because, for many reasons and due to the proximity of the Bay of Bengal, geopolitics and geostrategy for Bangladesh may experience turbulence due to external actors, especially in Bangladesh-Myanmar dynamics. We all must guard against it, as we are sovereign, independent and peaceful. Moreover, we Bangladeshi peacekeepers make, keep and build peace for other countries around the world, especially in Africa, despite having the African Union (AU). At this point in time, military diplomacy may take the driving seat for security and confidence-building measures. My experience of 3 decades in the Bangladesh Army and the same in the UN substantiates that in most of the SAARC countries, the military had to rescue the nations when states’ fragile political processes failed a number of times. Therefore, regional cooperation should continue despite political disagreements among individual states, and military diplomacy may provide an alternative pathway to confidence-building. I firmly believe that if General Ziaur Rahman were alive today, he would have taken SAARC beyond our dreams. Let us hope for the best.