|
|
|
| May 18, 2005 | Wednesday | Rabi-us-Sani 9, 1426 |
S. Asian MPs for end to barriers of mistrust
BHURBAN (Murree Hills), May 17: South Asian parliamentarians on Tuesday called for removing barriers of mistrust and differences among countries of the region in an effort to boost economic development. Speakers on the third day of the first-ever conference of South Asian parliamentarians stressed that mutual trust and removal of barriers based on political disputes or economic fears were necessary to transform this poverty-ridden region into a leading economic bloc in the world.
Tuesday morning’s debate on “Economic Cooperation in South Asia” followed two papers by a Pakistani economist, Dr A. R Kemal, and a veteran Indian journalist, Krishan Kumar Katyal, with several speakers directly blaming the traditional hostility between India and Pakistan for the seven-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation’s failure to make much headway in its main goal of economic development.
An evening session was devoted to water issues in the region and the possibility of having a common energy grid. Though the parliament members from both the ruling and opposition parties of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka pointed to difficulties caused by mistrust and tensions of the past, they sounded hopeful that a perceived new era of friendliness would change things for the better.
Some Indian MPs sought to remove fears of smaller countries about possible adverse effects on their economies if they allowed free trade with India. Some of them also agreed that India, being the largest economy of the region, needed to concede more benefits to others than expected from them in order to promote common interests.
“Mistrust arising from political differences has undermined efforts to foster regional economic cooperation in South Asia,” Dr Kamal said in his paper on “Safta (South Asian Free Trade Area) and economic cooperation and trade”.
The economist, whose paper was read out at the conference because he himself could not attend, said India and Pakistan had not been able to realise the full potential of their bilateral trade “due to various political compulsions” but prospects had been enhanced by what he called an improved relationship between them and the signing of the Safta agreement last year.
But he said success of Safta would depend on a number of factors, including a small “sensitive list” of tradable commodities, transparent and simple rules of origin, and a judicious use of anti-dumping and countervailing duties.
|
|
|
|
