January 14, 2003	Tuesday	Ziqa'ad 10, 1423

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

ISLAMABAD, Jan 13: The participants of the third South Asia People Summit have called for making South Asia a nuclear weapons-free zone and putting complete restriction on nuclear and missile programmes by India and Pakistan through signing of NPT and other disarmament agreements.

This was stated by Bushra Guhar, vice chairperson of South Asia Partnership, on Monday, in a news conference held at a local hotel. She was flanked by Syed Nooul Alam (Bangladesh), Dr Surendra K.C. (Nepal), Dr Padma Ratnayake (Sri Lanka) and Mehboobul Karim (Bangladesh).

She announced the joint declaration of the summit. It reads that the representative assembly of civil society organizations and networks of South Asian countries — Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka — reiterate the pledge to promote people’s struggle for a peaceful, democratic and prosperous South Asia. It opposed all actions and policies that promoted militarization, jingoism, extremism and exploitation.

Realizing that the regional cooperation is the most important prerequisite for the progress of the people of South Asia, specially in the face of increasing globalization, this assembly deplores the postponement of the 12th Saarc Summit and calls for its immediate convening, the declaration said.

The summit also condemns the recent denial of visas to peace and human rights activists by India and Pakistan and terms these actions as detrimental to efforts for promoting peace and regional cooperation. It demands that the visa regimes should be eased and the two countries immediately stop harassing, humiliating and victimizing visitors. It further calls upon the two governments to allow all citizens of Saarc countries visas at the port of entry as is done by Sri Lanka and Nepal.

This summit demands that all communication and travel links among South Asian countries, specially between India and Pakistan, should to be immediately restored.

It takes serious note of the increasing use of repressive measures by the South Asian states against the right- people rights movements and calls upon the states to ensure setting up of political processes for the solution of intra- state conflicts in different parts of the region.

The participants of the summit also condemn the rise of religious extremism in the region and covert state patronage through fanning religious hatred, communal hatred and jingoism. Thy called for immediate deweaponization of all religious and quasi-religious and other militant groups. The summit recommended immediate ratification and implementation of the Saarc Conventions on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children 2002, the declaration reads.

Ms Guhar said the summit, in order to fulfil its responsibilities regarding peace and tranquillity in the region, had made specific recommendations.

She said the summit recommended that the governments of South Asian states should promote autonomy and independence of democratic institutions, specially by guaranteeing the independence of judiciary by making it effective, approachable and affordable.

Saarc secretariat should associate civil society organizations in all efforts to promote cultural exchanges in the region and to strengthen the South Asian identity, the Summit recommended.

It stressed that all states should coordinate and harmonize their policies relating to local institutions and civil liberties of the people.

Ms Guhar said the summit asked that all Saarc member states needed to ensure the participation of women, children and youths in the decision-making processes, and provide legal protection against violence, exploitation and marginalization. It also called for promoting traditional arts, crafts and information and knowledge systems to protect the cultural rights of the under- privileged sections of society.

It emphasized active collaboration among the planning authorities of Saarc member states to harmonize their policies and ensure that an increased percentage of GDP is devoted to social sector programmes.

The summit also recommended that Saarc member states should set up a comprehensive regional convention on small arms and light weapons to investigate, expose and curb illicit arms trade and trafficking across South Asia.

All state should be brought under a common legal umbrella for working towards non- proliferation of small arms and light weapons. All governments should provide support to victims of trafficking.

The governing principles of Saarc need updating to ensure that the working of the forum is not jeopardized. It is imperative that Saarc states should immediately ratify and start implementing all declarations, conventions, protocols on human rights and civil liberties and ensure effective implementation and by setting up effective monitoring systems, the summit recommended.