Associate Professor

Political Science

Govt. College

Gangapur City  Rajasthan, India 

The abbreviation SAARC stands for South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. Founded in 1985, it is an economic and political organization of eight countries in South Asia, namely, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.  19 SAARC Summits have been held so far. SAARC was established to promote economic growth, social progress and cultural development within the South Asia region; to promote the welfare of the peoples of South Asia and improve their quality of life; to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region; to promote and strengthen collective self-reliance among the countries of South Asia; to contribute to mutual trust and understanding; to promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in the economic, social, cultural, technical and scientific fields; to strengthen co-operation with other developing countries; to strengthen co-operation among themselves in international forms on matters of common interest.

Five Principles of SAARC

SAARC works with the following five principles-

1.Sovereign equality

2.Territorial integrity

3.Political independence

4.Non-interference in internal affairs of the Member States

5.Mutual benefit.

Areas of Cooperation for SAARC to Work in-

1.Agriculture and rural development

2.Education and culture

3.Biotechnology

4.Economic, trade and finance

5.Energy

6.Environment

7.Tourism

8.Science and Technology

9.Information, Communication and Media

10.Poverty alleviation

11.Security aspects

12.People-to-People Contacts

13.Funding mechanism

14.Social development

Objectives of SAARC

1.Ensuring economic, social and cultural development of the region.

2.Improving living standard of the people living in South Asia and providing safeguard to the dignity of the life of every individual.

3.Forging regional integrity.

4.Developing a conducive atmosphere to peace and harmony.

5.Establishing economic, social, cultural, scientific and technological cooperation among the countries of the region

6.Accelerating cooperation with other countries and regional and International Organizations of the  world

7.Providing safeguard to the interests of the South Asian Region

8.Accelerating the process of economic growth.

9.Promoting free trade among the countries of the region.

10.Ensuring economic development.

11.Increase trade among countries

Impediments in the Success of SAARC

1.Limited trade  among the member countries of SAARC

2.The dependence of the weak countries of the region on the stronger countries.

3.Disputes  among  the  member states 

4.Effect of border disputes, river disputes, lack of trust, on the the process of integration.

5.The religious and ethnic conflicts

6.Prevalence of Political differences

7.Lack of democracy in South

8.Unstable political conditions

9.Cultural  diversity and cultural clashes

10.Presence of elite conflicts among the elites of the member countries

11.Narrow  feelings of nationalism  and  fulfilment  of their  narrow  self  interests 

12.Lack of  communication between the people of  the region and the organisation

Undoubtedly, in the present time, when there is a conflicting competition among the members of SAARC, the relevance of cannot be denied.  In order to control the situation and to develop a harmony among such nations, SAARC can play a constructive role. The hope of materialization of the process of effective economic integration rests upon the initiatives to be taken by SAARC only.

It is suggested that there should be introduced a common currency for all the member states of SAARC. It is only through the efforts of SAARC that the connectivity among the member states may be improved through the improvement in transport and roads and there may be ensured more trade activities.  

Indo-Pak rivalry is a horrible impediment in the progress and success of SAARC which can be overcome through some effective dispute resolution mechanism. In addition, the other important initiatives that are required for SAARC to take include-the mechanism to improve the securities of food, health, individuality, community, ecology and politics.  

Summits of SAARC               

SAARC follows an institutional framework that regularly holds summits to discuss the various alternatives regarding dispute settlement and cooperation amongst its members.

Sl. No.	SAARC Summit	Organized In	Dates & Year
1	First Summit	Dhaka-Bangladesh	7–8 December 1985
2	Second Summit	Bangalore-India	17–18 November1986
3	Third Summit	Kathmandu-Nepal	2–4 November 1987
4	Fourth Summit	Islamabad-Pakistan	29–31 December 1988
5	Fifth Summit	Male- Maldives	21–23 November 1990
6	Sixth Summit	Colombo- Sri Lanka	21 December 1991
7	Seventh Summit	Dhaka- Bangladesh	10–11 April 1992
8	Eights Summit	New Delhi- India	2–4 May 1995
9	Ninth Summit	Male- Maldives	12–14 May 1997
10	Tenth Summit	Colombo- Sri Lanka	29–31 July 1998
11	Eleventh Summit	Kathmandu-Nepal	4–6 January 2002
12	Twelfth Summit	Islamabad-Pakistan	4–6 January 2004
13	Thirteenth Summit	Dhaka- Bangladesh	12–13 November 2005
14	Fourteenth Summit	New Delhi-India	3-4 April 2007
15	Fifteenth Summit	Colombo-Sri Lanka	1–3 August 2008
16	Sixteenth Summit	Thimphu- Bhutan	28–29 April 2010
17	Seventeenth Summit	Addu City-Maldives	10-11 November 2011
18	Eighteenth Summit	Kathmandu- Nepal	26-27 November 2014
19	Nineteenth Summit	Islamabad- Pakistan	15- 16 November 2016.

Relevant Reviewed Related Studies

‘SAARC  is a  grouping  of  eight countries namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh,  Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal , Pakistan and Srilanka. Initially SAARC consists of seven members but in 2007 Afghanistan became a part of this regional organisation. The Asian Relations conference(1947), the Baguio Conference(1950)  and the Colombo  Powers  Conference(1954)  were  the  three  conferences  held  at  New  Delhi, Philippines  and  Srilanka  respectively  to  canvass  the  idea  of  cooperation  in  South  Asia. Finally  it  was  Ziaur  Rahman  the  president  of  Bangladesh  who proposed  the  idea  of  an regional organisation in  the context of South  Asia  in the 1980s. However SAARC  as an organization  was  born  in  1985. 

Besides  the  eight  permanent  members  there  are  some countries like China, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Mauritius, Myanmar and the United States of America who have been entrusted with the observer status of SAARC. Furthermore European Union another regional organization is functioning as an observer of SAARC.  The secretariat of SAARC is located at Kathmandu which is the capital of Nepal. Secretary General is the head of the secretariat. The Heads of Government of the member countries meet once a year in  order  to  decide  the policies  and  activities  to  be  undertaken  by  the  organisation.  The policies  are  made  by  the  Council  of  Ministers  comprising  the  Foreign  Ministers  of  the member states. They meet twice a years to ensure formulation of the policies made by the organization. Foreign  Secretaries of  every states  encompasses the  Standing Committee  of SAARC. There are also some Technical and Action Committees who are entrusted with the task of effective policy implementations.’¹

‘It was in 1980 that Bangladesh first proposed institutionalisation of regional co-operation. SAARC was finally established in 1985 after nearly four years of preparatory meetings among the seven concerned countries, beginning from 1981. According to the SAARC charter, the objectives of the association include promotion of the welfare of the peoples of South Asia, to accelerate economic growth, promote and strengthen collective self-reliance and contribute to mutual trust, understanding and appreciation of one another’s problems in the region. However, an analysis of the expectations which each of the countries had from the association bring out certain important aspects.

Firstly, though regional co-operation etc. were the stated objectives for forming and joining the association, it is seen that each of the countries had a specific agenda—primarily political with regard to the association. This agenda was influenced by their perception of themselves, their countries’ national interests and its place in the region. Thus, the countries sought to fulfill these national agendas through the regional mechanism. Secondly, therefore these motivations show that the approach was to a certain extent negative and regional co-operation was not the primary motive for joining the association. Every country had a clear cut political agenda to fulfill and a political role to gain by institutionalizing regional co-operation. It is thus imperative to briefly analyze the circumstances under which they joined the association and their expectations therefore from the regional association.’²

‘States always function as rational actors as protecting the national interests of a state depends on the choices it makes in the international context. Hence, choices and preferences are central to the study of both public policy and international relations. Policies are driven and influenced by the attention and behaviors of the actors which ultimately create a path to failure or success. In the Bay of Bengal Initiatives for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), India, in the absence of Pakistan, can enjoy a friendly environment and establish its goal of geopolitical and economic dominance in South Asia and Southeast Asia, while countering China’s continuous upsurge.

On the other hand, in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), constant intervention from Pakistan means that India shifts its attention to use its full potential elsewhere. This article is based on secondary sources and illustrates how the interests of a major actor (India) can shape the paths of two similar regional organizations (SAARC and BIMSTEC), despite these organizations sharing characteristics such as the same member states, the same socio-economic situation, and the same vision.’³

‘SAARC is the only regional organization at the governmental level for the 8 member countries to chalk out their differences and promote welfare of the people, to improve quality of their life and accelerate economic growth. In the last 27 years, SAARC has made significant strides to strengthen economic cooperation and maximize the region's vast potential for trade and development. South Asian consciousness has been growing not only among the people of the region but also in the South Asian Diaspora.

South Asian culture, art, language and history are taught in world renowned universities, increasingly Institutes of South Asian Studies are coming up the world over, South Asian food and film festivals, trade fairs are taking place at a regular fashion. The concept of South Asia is today having a global appeal. Hundreds of foreign companies are keen to tap the vibrancy of our region on the move. It has been said that the destiny has already been proclaimed for Asia and South Asia will be the fulcrum for its growth in the coming decades.’⁴

‘Regionalism has been an important force in international relations since 1945. Most regional organizations that came into existence after the end of the Second World War dealt primarily with defence and security issues. With the passage of time, however, regional trading blocs have considerably gained in importance.’⁵

‘India, the predominant power in the region, in its commitment to SAARC, has had tried to ensure that the latter deliver the good by focusing on poverty alleviation, infrastructure development, regional economic integration and proper harnessing region’s resources, encouraging people-to-people contact and by taking appropriate measures in this regard. India has urged the member states to put aside their rivalries and concentrate their attention energies on regional development delivering win-win results. Despite this, the hostility between two developed regional powers- India and Pakistan –as well as the in-built asymmetry in the Indo-Centric region and the consequent threat perception among smaller countries of the region as frustrated India’s sincere but cautious attempts to make SAARC a meaningful and productive regional organisation.’⁶

‘Recent developments in South Asian countries, especially the re-emergence of democratic governments, new growth momentum despite the global economic downturn and greater openness, warrant a fresh look at the region’s prospects for economic integration. On the basis of a thorough review of the literature on potential and prospects of regional integration in South Asia and after examining the trends in intra-SAARC trade and investment flows, it is observed that the progress in regional cooperation has been far short of potential. India will have to take on a disproportionately larger responsibility for promoting regional cooperation in South Asia. However, regional integration will not be achieved by India’s unilateral actions alone. Neighboring governments will have to respond positively to Indian initiatives for successful regional integration in South Asia.’⁷

‘Cooperation in the South Asian region predates the setting up of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). With a common cultural heritage and historical legacy, the ties among the people of the region have been extensive and deep-rooted. The birth of SAARC is only an official recognition of this commonality by the new post-colonial states. SAARC was conceptualized as an organization that would accelerate economic growth, gradually bring about the formation of a unified market, promote a regional transportation network, and bring about social development in the region. Yet after twenty years of existence much remains to be done in creating mutual trust necessary for collective action as indicated by repeated postponement of various SAARC summits.’⁸

‘Countries seem to have gone swifter and more pragmatic than the academia in acknowledging the limits imposed by borders and split sovereignty, if any solution to regional trans-border issues is to be found. 

In sum, it is the pragmatic and unbiased acknowledgement and commitment to the fact that regional problems need to be tackled regionally, beyond any kind of borders and barrier, what makes SAARC a challenging set for cooperation, in south Asia and worldwide. In the responsibility to pursue this design lies the political relevance of the organization. Beyond the form it takes, the central aspect that distinguishes this commitment, as any commitment, among other forms of political behavior, is that it sustains itself on both a present practice and on a sound intuition.’⁹

‘The SAARC was established on 8th December 1985. It is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia. With its population, economy and area wise, India is the largest country in the SAARC region. The basic driving force behind an establishment of the SAARC was the desire of the contracting parties for promoting peace, stability, amity and progress in the region through strict adherence to the principles of an United Nations charter and Non-Alignment.’¹⁰

Conclusion

SAARC is a deciding economic and political regional organization of countries in South Asia which aims at accelerating the process of economic and social development among its member states. Since its establishment on 8 December 1985, it has seen several ups and downs. All its eight member countries, namely, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri-Lanka, are helping it work, but some of them due to their personal rivalries fail to contribute to its progress as much as they should have done.

Promoting the welfare of the people of South Asia: improving their quality of life; accelerating and boosting up economic growth, social progress and cultural development; providing all an opportunity to live in dignity and to realize their full potentials; strengthening cooperation etc. were some of the specific aims of the establishment of SAARC. SAARC Heads of State are scheduled to meet at annual Summits. There have been nineteen summits of SAARC so far. Since SAARC designed and implemented a regional SAARC Covid-19 emergency fund, amounting to around 22 M USD, to foster the cooperation among its member states.

An isolated country that keeps itself away from the other countries, cannot see a real growth and development. It means that in order to have growth and development, a country needs seek cooperation and help in the different spheres of life from one or other countries.  As far as the countries  of  the  South  Asia  are concerned, they need to  go  beyond  narrow  politics  and  forge cooperation  among  them in order to have more and more development.  Economic,  political  and  cultural  cooperation  of the South Asian countries  can change the future of South Asia.

It is true that SAARC as an organisation is passing through hard times, but times are not always the same.  Situations keep changing, and hence, it is hoped that the member states of SAARC will realize their worth and the objectives of SAARC, and they will contribute to its progress accordingly. At present, there is a  limited  cooperation  among  the  countries, but as it is predicted, the degree of this cooperation will increase in the next few years.  It is only then that SAARC  will be able  play  the desired role  to  cultivate  peace,  harmony  and development of the region.

Suggestions

1.SAARC should take it as its liability to promote good governance in all the countries of the region.

2.The welfare of the people should be the sole concern of SAARC.

3.SAARC should emancipate the development of children and women.

4.SAARC should take initiatives in order to resolve the major environmental problems of the countries.

5.SAARC must take immediate steps to maintain ecological security.

6.SAARC should promote higher education in all the countries with the establishment and opening of more and more universities like  the South Asian University which was set up in 2010 at New Delhi

7.The major issues to be resolved by SAARC include the issues relating to agriculture, food security, energy security and environment etc.

To sum up- SAARC as an organization is making a slow progress. It has several barriers and impediments in its path that hinder its progress and success. However, it is hoped that through a strategic mechanism, SAARC will be able to overcome all these issues and will meet all the specific objectives for which it was established.

References

1.Debtanu Majee (2019). The Relevance Of SAARC In The Contemporary World: An Overview. ResearchGate.

2.Padmaja Murthy (2000). Relevance of SAARC. Strategic Analysis: A Monthly Journal of the IDSA, Vol. XXIII No. 10.

3.Md. Foysal Jaman Shishir and Nurul Huda Sakib (2022). How Interests and Ideas of a Dominant Actor Make a Big Difference: Analyzing India’s Role in SAARC and BIMSTEC. Chin Polit Sci Rev. 2022 Oct 3 : 1–23.

4.Tomislav Delinic & Nishchal N. Pandey (2012). SAARC: Towards Meaningful Cooperation. Printed at Modern Printing Press Kathmandu, Nepal.

5.Kunal Mukherjee (2014). The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation: Problems and prospects. Sage Journal Reviewer Gateway, Volume 14, Issue 4.

6.Dr.C.Ramana Reddy (2020). India’s Role in the SAARC. Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research, Volume 7, Issue 11.

7.Rajiv Kumar and Manjeeta Singh (2009). India’s Role in South Asia Trade and Investment Integration. Asian Development Bank.

8.Smruti S Pattanaik (2006). Making Sense of Regional Cooperation: SAARC at Twenty. Strategic Analysis, Vol. 30, No. 1.

9.Francesco Obino (2009). SAARC: The Political Challenge for South Asia and Beyond. Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 44, Issue No. 09.

10.Rama Rao Bonagani (2021). The Significance of SAARC in the South Asia Region: A Theoretical Study. Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, Volume - 12,      Issue – 2.

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