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ISLAMABAD, May 20: Parliamentarians representing all major parties of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) countries on Friday issued a declaration encapsulating the agreed vision for bringing a new era of South Asian partnership.
The Bhurban Declaration, issued at the end of a five-day meeting organised by the South Asia Free Media Association (Safma) on “South Asian Parliament: Evolving South Asian Fraternity,” chartered a futuristic course of action for regional cooperation on ten different issues encompassing all facets of human development and security in the context of peaceful co-existence.
Following are the salient abridged features of the Bhurban Declaration:
*The military muscle of a state or region will not be an emblem of status but its contribution to meeting the challenge of peace, overcoming global poverty, protecting the planet from environmental disaster and contributing to humanising the world and advancement of its people.
*Three broad areas for deepening economic cooperation can be identified for the purposes of specific policy action, including energy cooperation and water management and conservation within South Asia; increased investment for economic growth, especially in physical and social infrastructures; restructuring growth for faster poverty eradication and human resource development.
*State and security centred approaches inconsistent with the interests of the South Asian people will have to give way to holistic approach for collective good of the region.
*The intrastate conflicts and interstate disputes must move from management of resolution in a result-oriented process. The lines of conflict must change into bridges of friendship and the fenced borders must gradually soften before the urge of South Asians to become a fraternal and indivisible community of people with nation states, while keeping their sovereign equality but submitting before the will of their real sovereigns - The People.
*Sequential steps should be taken in realistic stages towards South Asian Free trade Area, South Asian Union (Tourism/Environment/Water/Energy/Communication/Information/Economic), South Asian Tariffs and Custom Union, South Asian Monetary Union, South Asian Bank and Development Fund, South Asian Collective Security and South Asian Parliament.
*India and Pakistan should put in place a comprehensive regime of Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) that will ensure a nuclear tension free subcontinent.
*Appeal to all countries in the region to put in place comprehensive sustainable dialogue mechanism for resolving all bilateral disputes.
The Saarc parliamentarians identified 11 broad goals and agenda items to collectively face the challenges posed by globalization and to meet the demands of the WTO regime through measures, including South Asian Free Trade Area; South Asian Customs, Tariffs Union and Monetary Union; Water Sharing and Management; South Asian Energy Grid; South Asian Development Bank; Addressing LDC’s concerns; South Asian Cooperative Security; South Asian Human Security; South Asian Parliament; South Asian Human Rights Code; People to people contacts; South Asian Information Society; Culture and Tourism.
Following are the broad dimensions of the agenda and goals:
South Asian Free Trade Area: If South Asia’s economies are to be integrated, it presupposes development of trans-national communication networks and physical infrastructure and monetary cooperation involving greater coordination among the governments and the central banks. Trade and investment will not move ahead unless tariffs are lowered, the negative-list kept to most minimum, non-tariff barriers removed and standards harmonized. Streamlining border transactions through trade facilitation at sub-regional junctions, special attention needs to be focussed on promoting border trade.
South Asian Customs, Tariffs Union and Monetary Union: Realisation of a South Asian Customs and Tariffs Union which may lead to a common exchange rate policy that will, eventually, necessitate the creation of a South Asian Monetary Union underwritten by macro-economic management and harmonization of trade, fiscal and monetary policies at the regional level. For promotion of trade, the countries will have to facilitate cross-border movement of people and goods with emphasis on simplification of visa and customs facilities.
Water Sharing and Management: The distribution and management of water resources need to be undertaken amicably without depriving the lower and upper riparian regions of their due to avoid a conflict over water issues which must not be politicized.
South Asian Energy Grid: The energy cooperation should evolve into a South Asian Energy Grid with integrated electricity and gas systems. As India and Pakistan now agree, the gas and oil pipelines can run from Central Asia, Gulf, Iran and Myanmar through Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh to whole of South Asia and beyond.
South Asian Development Bank: Shares of both national and regional companies would be quoted on our stock exchanges as capital moves without hindrance across national boundaries to underwrite investment in joint ventures and projects in any part of our region through a South Asian Development Bank.
Addressing LDC’s concerns: The concerns of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) should be genuinely addressed; minimize the negative list; substantial reduction in tariffs and lifting of non-tariff and para tariff barriers and gradual opening of economies with strict adherence to timeframe envisaged in Safta agreement.
South Asian Cooperative Society: Overcome obsession with over-demanding militaristic security paradigms and look beyond the traditional notions of security and focus on an integrated South Asian Cooperative Society that recognizes interdependence and mutuality of interests.
South Asian Human Security: Beyond cooperative security, South Asian nations must ultimately move towards South Asian Human Security by placing people and their wellbeing and rights to peaceful life and development at the centre of security concerns rather than intensifying the arms race.
South Asian Parliament: Initiate a process of moving towards the creation of an interactive mechanism for parliamentarians of South Asia, keeping in mind the concept of a South Asian Parliament (SAP). To begin with, SAP may initially be set up as a deliberative and consultative body, so as to create regional opinion and build regional pressures on issues pending implementation at the Saarc level.
South Asia Human Rights Code: It is imperative for the South Asian countries to agree to and set up institutions under the Paris Principles and purposefully set about creating the required mechanisms to implement all internationally recognised fundamental human, civil and democratic rights.
People to people contacts: All-country visas may be granted at separate South Asian counters on arrival at the airports and on all border crossings.
South Asian Information Society: It is essential that all restrictions on access to and free flow of information are removed forthwith and media persons and products allowed free movement across frontiers. Given the rising numbers of South Asian Cyber citizenry, there is an urgent need to upgrade, integrate and facilitate cyber connectivity and accessibility.
Culture and Tourism: At the level of Saarc, measures should be taken to promote cultural exchanges, tourism, health and education services and research in all fields.
Nepal: The conference expressed its serious concern over the arrest of a former Nepalese member of parliament, while he was about to board a plane to Pakistan to attend the conference. Protesting his arrest, other parliamentarians from Nepal also decided to stay back.
