Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has called for the revival of the long-dormant South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), offering his country as a mediator to help restart leaders’ summits after nearly a decade of inactivity. Speaking at the Maldives’ Independence Day ceremony on 26 July, Muizzu said the regional body, which the Maldives helped found in the mid-1980s, had delivered “numerous benefits” but had been “rendered, or has become, dysfunctional” for about nine years. “Looking closely at our immediate region, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)... is one such body,” he said. “Given that the foreign policy of the Maldives is structured... upon the principle that differences should be addressed through consultation, by bringing concerns to the discussion table, reaching resolutions, and moving forward in a manner that benefits all, the reactivation of SAARC is equally vital for regional peace and security.”Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/from-india-out-to-china-out-muizzu-makes-u-turn-as-pm-modi-offers-incentives-1753546113306">From ‘India out’ to ‘China out’? Muizzu makes U-turn as PM Modi offers incentives</a> He urged member states to resume summits. “We must bring matters to the point where the leaders of SAARC resume holding summits once again. To those parties among whom differences have arisen in this regard, the Maldives calls upon you to set those matters aside, to prioritise friendship for the sake of regional development and regional peace, and to come to the negotiating table". SAARC, comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, held its last summit in Kathmandu in 2014. The planned 2016 summit in Islamabad was cancelled after India and several other members boycotted it following the Uri terror attack by Pakistani terrorists. Maldives President suggested that, should the task "prove challenging", the "Maldives stands ready to take the initiative and act as a mediator to advance those discussions. Therefore, SAARC must be operationalised once again. This administration shall always champion peace.” Responding on Tuesday to Muizzu’s remarks, India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated New Delhi’s support for regional cooperation while pointing the finger at Pakistan without naming it directly. “India favours strong regional cooperation and has been working towards it for several decades. Everyone in South Asia is aware of which country and what activities are responsible for stymying SAARC. After all, cooperation does require goodwill,” Jaiswal told a media briefing. India has long emphasised that Pakistan’s support for cross-border terrorism and interference in neighbours’ affairs has blocked progress in the organisation.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka, held its last summit in Kathmandu in 2014. The planned 2016 summit in Islamabad was cancelled after India and several other members boycotted it following the Uri terror attack by Pakistani terrorists.

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has called for the revival of the long-dormant South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), offering his country as a mediator to help restart leaders’ summits after nearly a decade of inactivity. Speaking at the Maldives’ Independence Day ceremony on 26 July, Muizzu said the regional body, which the Maldives helped found in the mid-1980s, had delivered “numerous benefits” but had been “rendered, or has become, dysfunctional” for about nine years. “Looking closely at our immediate region, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)... is one such body,” he said. “Given that the foreign policy of the Maldives is structured... upon the principle that differences should be addressed through consultation, by bringing concerns to the discussion table, reaching resolutions, and moving forward in a manner that benefits all, the reactivation of SAARC is equally vital for regional peace and security.” Also read | From ‘India out’ to ‘China out’? Muizzu makes U-turn as PM Modi offers incentives He urged member states to resume summits. “We must bring matters to the point where the leaders of SAARC resume holding summits once again. To those parties among whom differences have arisen in this regard, the Maldives calls upon you to set those matters aside, to prioritise friendship for the sake of regional development and regional peace, and to come to the negotiating table". SAARC, comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, held its last summit in Kathmandu in 2014. The planned 2016 summit in Islamabad was cancelled after India and several other members boycotted it following the Uri terror attack by Pakistani terrorists. Maldives President suggested that, should the task "prove challenging", the "Maldives stands ready to take the initiative and act as a mediator to advance those discussions. Therefore, SAARC must be operationalised once again. This administration shall always champion peace.” Responding on Tuesday to Muizzu’s remarks, India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated New Delhi’s support for regional cooperation while pointing the finger at Pakistan without naming it directly. “India favours strong regional cooperation and has been working towards it for several decades. Everyone in South Asia is aware of which country and what activities are responsible for stymying SAARC. After all, cooperation does require goodwill,” Jaiswal told a media briefing. India has long emphasised that Pakistan’s support for cross-border terrorism and interference in neighbours’ affairs has blocked progress in the organisation.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka, held their last summit in Kathmandu in 2014. The planned 2016 summit in Islamabad was cancelled after India and several other members boycotted it following the Uri terror attack by Pakistani terrorists.

Muizzu pushes for SAARC restart; India cites Pak terror concerns

Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli has said that he had spoken to both his Indian and Pakistani counterparts to resume the stalled SAARC process by sorting out their differences.

Unveiling a book titled 'Effectiveness of SAARC and Regional Conference' at a function organised by the Federal Parliament Secretariat here yesterday, Prime Minister Oli said that building friendly relations based on mutual understanding, cooperation and collaboration among SAARC member states were essential for maintaining peace and prosperity in the region.

The 19th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit was to be held in Islamabad in 2016 but after a major terror attack on an Indian Army camp in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir on September 18 that year, India expressed its inability to participate in the summit due to "prevailing circumstances" and stepped up diplomatic pressure on Pakistan.

The summit was called off after Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan also declined to participate. There has been no progress since then.

Oli, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to India and Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi during his trip to Nepal recently, had discussed about the need to restart the SAARC process.&nbsp;

"Nepal is the current chair of SAARC. There is a misunderstanding among some members. However, it is necessary to create cordial environment among them," Oli said, stressing the need for sorting out the differences between SAARC neighbours.

Speaker of the House of Representatives Krishna Bahadur Mahara, while expressing concern over the delay in convening the biennial summit, urged all the member states to take the SAARC process forward actively and effectively.

SAARC Summits are usually held biennially, hosted by a member state in alphabetical order. The member state hosting the summit assumes the Chair of the Association.

The last SAARC Summit in 2014 was held in Kathmandu.

Prime Minister Oli said that building friendly relations based on mutual understanding, cooperation and collaboration among SAARC member states were essential for maintaining peace and prosperity in the region

Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli has said that he had spoken to both his Indian and Pakistani counterparts to resume the stalled SAARC process by sorting out their differences. Unveiling a book titled 'Effectiveness of SAARC and Regional Conference' at a function organised by the Federal Parliament Secretariat here yesterday, Prime Minister Oli said that building friendly relations based on mutual understanding, cooperation and collaboration among SAARC member states were essential for maintaining peace and prosperity in the region. The 19th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit was to be held in Islamabad in 2016 but after a major terror attack on an Indian Army camp in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir on September 18 that year, India expressed its inability to participate in the summit due to "prevailing circumstances" and stepped up diplomatic pressure on Pakistan. The summit was called off after Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan also declined to participate. There has been no progress since then. Oli, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to India and Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi during his trip to Nepal recently, had discussed about the need to restart the SAARC process. "Nepal is the current chair of SAARC. There is a misunderstanding among some members. However, it is necessary to create cordial environment among them," Oli said, stressing the need for sorting out the differences between SAARC neighbours. Speaker of the House of Representatives Krishna Bahadur Mahara, while expressing concern over the delay in convening the biennial summit, urged all the member states to take the SAARC process forward actively and effectively. SAARC Summits are usually held biennially, hosted by a member state in alphabetical order. The member state hosting the summit assumes the Chair of the Association. The last SAARC Summit in 2014 was held in Kathmandu.

Oli speaks to prime ministers of India, Pakistan to resume stalled SAARC process

To counter India&#39;s influence over the eight-member South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Pakistan is exploring the possibility of forming a larger South Asian Economic Alliance, diplomatic observers say, the Dawn newspaper reported Wednesday.&nbsp;

The idea was pitched by a parliamentary delegation from Pakistan during its visit to Washington last week. The delegation is in New York now.

&quot;A greater South Asia is already emerging,&rdquo; said Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed&nbsp;in an interaction with the media. &ldquo;This greater South Asia includes China, Iran and the neighbouring Central Asian republics.&rdquo;

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was described by him as the key route linking South Asia with Central Asia. The Gwadar port&nbsp;would be the closest water port for the land-locked Central Asian states, he pointed out.&nbsp;

&ldquo;We want India to join this arrangement as well,&rdquo; said Hussain.&nbsp;However, India may be unwilling to accept such an arrangement, considering the advantage SAARC provides it with.&nbsp;

In a bid to isolate Pakistan, India last month exerted its influence on SAARC when it declared that it would not be attending the South Asia-based regional group&#39;s 19th summit, which was to be held in Islamabad on November 15 and 16 this year.&nbsp;

Pakistan&#39;s alleged involvement in&nbsp;the September 18 terrorist attack in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir was the reason cited by India behind its decision to boycott the summit. However, Pakistani has strongly denied the allegation,&nbsp;citing the absence of any concrete evidence provided by India to support its claim. Yet, India was supported by three other SAARC nations - Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan - who too boycotted the summit.

This exposed Pakistan&#39;s isolation within the group where it had once played a key role. Afghanistan and Bangladesh are India&#39;s close allies. Bhutan, surrounded by India, is way too small and dependent to question New Delhi&#39;s moves.&nbsp;

Sri Lanka, Maldives and Nepal share good relations with Pakistan but they are not powerful enough to take on India.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Apparently, the showdown forced Pakistan to conclude that in its present shape, SAARC will always be dominated by India. That&rsquo;s why they are now talking about a greater South Asia,&rdquo; a senior diplomat told Dawn,&nbsp;confirming reports that Pakistan is seeking a new regional agreement,

Pakistan hopes that this new arrangement will give it more room to manoeuvre when India tries to force a decision on it,&rdquo; said another diplomat to Dawn.

The Washington-based diplomatic observers say&nbsp;that the arrangement Pakistan is seeking will also suit China &nbsp;as it remains worried about India&#39;s growing influence in the region. The observers&nbsp;further argue that Central Asian states and Iran may be persuaded by China to join the new arrangement.&nbsp;

However, the analysts&nbsp;warn&nbsp;that SAARC&nbsp;members will not be too keen to support&nbsp;the idea. The new arrangement will not have much in store for Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka as joining a land route far from their borders will not be very favourable to them. Besides, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have their own ports.&nbsp;

Afghanistan, which is a land-locked Central Asian country, is likely to benefit&nbsp;the most from a larger South Asian alliance as any trade route that links South and Central Asian regions is beneficial for Afghanistan. But considering Afghanistan&#39;s links to India, it is unlikely to join any arrangement that hurts India&#39;s interest.&nbsp;

The application for SAARC membership by Afghanistan in 2006&nbsp;paved way for an interesting debate on the definition of South Asian identity as Afghanistan is essentially a Central Asian country.&nbsp;

A stipulation for Afghanistan to hold general elections was imposed by SAARC member states. The polls were held in 2005, later enabling the country to join the group in April 2007 as its eighth member.&nbsp;

Even if a larger South Asia became a reality, there is no certainty that its members will stand by the side of Pakistan in its disputes with India, a South Asian diplomat told Dawn.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Many Central Asian states have strong ties with India and Iran too has problems with Pakistan,&rdquo; the diplomat added.

(WION with inputs from Dawn) 
&nbsp;

The idea was pitched by a parliamentary delegation from Pakistan during its visit to Washington last week

To counter India's influence over the eight-member South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Pakistan is exploring the possibility of forming a larger South Asian Economic Alliance, diplomatic observers say, the Dawn newspaper reported Wednesday. The idea was pitched by a parliamentary delegation from Pakistan during its visit to Washington last week. The delegation is in New York now. "A greater South Asia is already emerging,” said Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed in an interaction with the media. “This greater South Asia includes China, Iran and the neighbouring Central Asian republics.” The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was described by him as the key route linking South Asia with Central Asia. The Gwadar port would be the closest water port for the land-locked Central Asian states, he pointed out. “We want India to join this arrangement as well,” said Hussain. However, India may be unwilling to accept such an arrangement, considering the advantage SAARC provides it with. In a bid to isolate Pakistan, India last month exerted its influence on SAARC when it declared that it would not be attending the South Asia-based regional group's 19th summit, which was to be held in Islamabad on November 15 and 16 this year. Pakistan's alleged involvement in the September 18 terrorist attack in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir was the reason cited by India behind its decision to boycott the summit. However, Pakistani has strongly denied the allegation, citing the absence of any concrete evidence provided by India to support its claim. Yet, India was supported by three other SAARC nations - Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan - who too boycotted the summit. This exposed Pakistan's isolation within the group where it had once played a key role. Afghanistan and Bangladesh are India's close allies. Bhutan, surrounded by India, is way too small and dependent to question New Delhi's moves. Sri Lanka, Maldives and Nepal share good relations with Pakistan but they are not powerful enough to take on India. “Apparently, the showdown forced Pakistan to conclude that in its present shape, SAARC will always be dominated by India. That’s why they are now talking about a greater South Asia,” a senior diplomat told Dawn, confirming reports that Pakistan is seeking a new regional agreement, Pakistan hopes that this new arrangement will give it more room to manoeuvre when India tries to force a decision on it,” said another diplomat to Dawn. The Washington-based diplomatic observers say that the arrangement Pakistan is seeking will also suit China as it remains worried about India's growing influence in the region. The observers further argue that Central Asian states and Iran may be persuaded by China to join the new arrangement. However, the analysts warn that SAARC members will not be too keen to support the idea. The new arrangement will not have much in store for Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka as joining a land route far from their borders will not be very favourable to them. Besides, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have their own ports. Afghanistan, which is a land-locked Central Asian country, is likely to benefit the most from a larger South Asian alliance as any trade route that links South and Central Asian regions is beneficial for Afghanistan. But considering Afghanistan's links to India, it is unlikely to join any arrangement that hurts India's interest. The application for SAARC membership by Afghanistan in 2006 paved way for an interesting debate on the definition of South Asian identity as Afghanistan is essentially a Central Asian country. A stipulation for Afghanistan to hold general elections was imposed by SAARC member states. The polls were held in 2005, later enabling the country to join the group in April 2007 as its eighth member. Even if a larger South Asia became a reality, there is no certainty that its members will stand by the side of Pakistan in its disputes with India, a South Asian diplomat told Dawn. “Many Central Asian states have strong ties with India and Iran too has problems with Pakistan,” the diplomat added. (WION with inputs from Dawn)

Pakistan seeks larger SAARC to counter India's influence

Pakistan&#39;s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today said the country is committed to jointly working with South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member countries for fighting terrorism, corruption and organised crimes. 
 
Addressing the inaugural session of the SAARC home ministers&#39; conference, Sharif cited Pakistan&#39;s anti-terror operations in restive tribal areas and National Action Plan to emphasise &quot;the government&#39;s determination to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from our soil for good&quot;. 
 
He said the SAARC region is blessed with tremendous human and natural resources. &quot;So, SAARC can and should provide a platform to optimally harness the regional potential for peace and prosperity of our people.&quot; 
 
Sharif said such an approach is in sync with his government&#39;s vision of &quot;peace for development and peaceful neighbourhood&quot;. &quot;Pakistan has always been supportive of initiatives taken by SAARC to advance its ideals and objectives as enshrined in its charter,&quot; he said. 
 
He said Pakistan has also been a&nbsp;strong advocate of stepping up regional efforts to ensure energy security through sharing of indigenous sources. 
 
The Prime Minister said Pakistan shares the perception that connectivity is critical to the progress and prosperity of the region and supports, in principle, road, air, rail and water connectivity within the region. 
 
&quot;Realisation of the goals and objectives envisaged in SAARC charter is our collective responsibility,&quot; he said. 
 
Addressing the inaugural session, SAARC secretary general Arjun Bahadur Thapa said there is a need to take effective measures to tackle the menace of terrorism, narcotics, cyber crimes and other transnational crimes. 
 
The day-long 7th meeting of the eight-member grouping is being held to review the progress on decisions taken in previous meetings. SAARC comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. 
 
(PTI)

'Realisation of the goals and objectives envisaged in SAARC charter is our collective responsibility,' Nawaz Sharif said

Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today said the country is committed to jointly working with South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member countries for fighting terrorism, corruption and organised crimes. Addressing the inaugural session of the SAARC home ministers' conference, Sharif cited Pakistan's anti-terror operations in restive tribal areas and National Action Plan to emphasise "the government's determination to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from our soil for good". He said the SAARC region is blessed with tremendous human and natural resources. "So, SAARC can and should provide a platform to optimally harness the regional potential for peace and prosperity of our people." Sharif said such an approach is in sync with his government's vision of "peace for development and peaceful neighbourhood". "Pakistan has always been supportive of initiatives taken by SAARC to advance its ideals and objectives as enshrined in its charter," he said. He said Pakistan has also been a strong advocate of stepping up regional efforts to ensure energy security through sharing of indigenous sources. The Prime Minister said Pakistan shares the perception that connectivity is critical to the progress and prosperity of the region and supports, in principle, road, air, rail and water connectivity within the region. "Realisation of the goals and objectives envisaged in SAARC charter is our collective responsibility," he said. Addressing the inaugural session, SAARC secretary general Arjun Bahadur Thapa said there is a need to take effective measures to tackle the menace of terrorism, narcotics, cyber crimes and other transnational crimes. The day-long 7th meeting of the eight-member grouping is being held to review the progress on decisions taken in previous meetings. SAARC comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. (PTI)

Pak PM: We are committed to working with SAARC to combat terror