Worried over India’s controlling hold over the eight-member South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Pakistan is now exploring the possibility of creating a greater South Asian economic alliance.
According to a report in ‘Dawn’, a parliamentary delegation from Pakistan pitched this idea during its five-day visit to Washington last week.
“A greater South Asia is already emerging. This greater South Asia includes China, Iran and the neighbouring Central Asian republics,” Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, part of the visiting delegation, told US media.
Hussain described the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as the key economic route linking South Asia with Central Asia and pointed out that the Gwadar port would be the nearest warm water port, not only for China but also for the land-locked Central Asian states.
He also invited India to join this arrangement.
“We want India to join this arrangement as well,” Hussain said.
Pakistan’s desperation to look out for a bigger SAARC comes in the wake of the cancellation of SAARC summit that was to be held in Islamabad on Nov 15-16.
India boycotted the summit holding Pakistan responsible for Uri attacks that led to the killing of 19 Indian soldiers.
Three other SAARC nations Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan also boycotted the summit which exposed Pakistan’s isolation in the region and finally led to the indefinite postponement of the summit.
“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 Pakistani diplomat was quoted as saying by Dawn.
The same diplomat confirmed to Dawn that Pakistan is actively seeking a new regional arrangement.
“Pakistan hopes that this new arrangement will give it more room to manoeuvre when India tries to force a decision on it,” another diplomat told Dawn.
Quoting diplomatic observers in Pakistan, the report says that the proposed arrangement also suits China as it is also worried about India’s rapidly growing influence in the region.
