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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday reiterated Pakistan’s desire for revitalisation of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) and signalled its readiness to contribute to the revival of the seemingly dead eight-member regional bloc.
In a tweet he posted to mark the Saarc Charter Day, PM Sharif reminded that the people of South Asia had suffered because of “missed opportunities” for regional development, connectivity and cooperation.
Pakistan is “ready to play its part for revival of Saarc”, he said.
Saarc has been in a state of limbo for the past six years as India has been blocking the hosting of its summit by Pakistan.
Pakistan was to host the 19th summit in November 2016, but India, supported by its regional allies Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan, forced its postponement.
The last summit was held in Nepal in 2014.
Meanwhile, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch at the weekly media briefing reminded about “undeniable proof” of Indian involvement in terrorism in Pakistan and called on the international community to take notice of it.
She made the comment in the context of the first-ever India-Central Asia National Security Advisors’ meeting in New Delhi, which focused on counterterrorism cooperation.
India’s attempts to portray itself as a torch bearer of counterterrorism efforts are ironic. Its involvement in inciting terrorism inside Pakistan is widely established and documented, she pointed out.
Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2022
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Comments (53) Closed
Dec 09, 2022 08:07am
We are hanging by a thread, getting one loan to pay off another loan, and getting
more loans to pay more loans… no one takes us seriously because of this situation
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Dec 09, 2022 08:10am
First good comments by PDM wale PM saab in a long time. Better trade and relationships should be sought.
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Dec 09, 2022 08:11am
What Pakistan could offer to SAARC?
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Dec 09, 2022 08:12am
PM Sharif is eyeing money of SAARC Development fund which has more than $10B contributed by India alone
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Dec 09, 2022 08:16am
Go elsewhere. India isn't interested.
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Dec 09, 2022 08:16am
now since you need money from India surely you need to revive Saarc.
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Dec 09, 2022 08:17am
Pakistan is isolated. None of the SAARC countries - Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Srilanka and Bhutan are on actual friendly terms with Pakistan.
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Dec 09, 2022 08:18am
First please revive Pakistan
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Dec 09, 2022 08:24am
SAARC minus india is the only way to avoid Indian hegemony. Sri Lanka and Nepal would be on board with this, and now Afghanistan too, but Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh is in power only because of India.
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Dec 09, 2022 08:29am
PM wants to share his default strategy with member states
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Dec 09, 2022 08:33am
Shabaz man you should just give up on making fake calls to divert attention from problems of the country. Let the true representatives of people come forward and lead the country in the right direction instead of begging.
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Dec 09, 2022 08:40am
Please don't expect loan from SAARC.
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Dec 09, 2022 08:41am
India should be careful or Pakistan will eat up entire SAARC development Fund and bankrupt SAARC itself.
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Dec 09, 2022 08:46am
@KhanRA, "SAARC minus india is the only way to avoid Indian hegemony. "
Then it will become an ARC instead of SAARC :-)
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Dec 09, 2022 08:51am
SAARC is dead. Nobody in the region wants to deal with Pakistan and now Afghanistan since Taliban rule.Sri Lanka has its own problems. Nepal and it's successive corrupt regimes have already sold the country to China. Leaving India and Bangladesh,the two already have strong commercial partnership outside of SAARC. This is reality,Hope SS gets it fast.
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Dec 09, 2022 09:07am
Ah now when sabke laale pade huven hain the pm is asking for saarc cooperation for a few dollars.
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Dec 09, 2022 09:09am
“undeniable proof” - sure sure, if it was undeniable then you wouldn’t have had to say that word.” Proof” would’ve sufficed. But that just exposes these clownish spokespersons of Pakistan.
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Dec 09, 2022 09:10am
Saarc will soon be re established soon inshalla, in which nations such as balochistan and sindh will also participate.
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Dec 09, 2022 09:15am
@KhanRA, don't talk it is cheap. Do it.
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Dec 09, 2022 09:18am
What is pakistan status to even dream of reviving SAARC. The country has already defaulted and here this person talks big. Never understood this arrogance that you don't have a dollar in your pocket but talk about buying a skyscraper.
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Dec 09, 2022 09:21am
Can he ever talk about crisis at home; about job losses, inflation, cost of living for the poor.
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Dec 09, 2022 09:31am
Kashmir is hosting G20 next year...why bother with Pakistan and Saarc?
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Dec 09, 2022 09:44am
Can any one let us know about any single achievement by SAARC when the participants use to get together and every country teetered about it,s own problems with no results. It was just the wastage of money on tours and nothing else.
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Dec 09, 2022 09:49am
Yes. It is SAARC that is on life support and needs to be saved.
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Dec 09, 2022 09:49am
SAARC had been the most useless forum in the history. It is now a dead horse and there is no need of kicking it.
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Dec 09, 2022 10:03am
BBIN, BIMSTEC regional groups are good alternative to SAARC.
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Dec 09, 2022 10:24am
@AHAQ, And the true representative has a different, non-begging economic plan, has he? Mind you he was more successful in begging foreign wallets open, got more loans and aid.
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Dec 09, 2022 10:57am
SAARC won't revive as long as India is in it although India doesn't need it because it has been drawn into many Western alliances , it is merely spoiling the Saarc for Pakistan out of malice
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Dec 09, 2022 10:59am
What happened to Turkey, Malaysia, Palestine and OIC ? Ummah didn't come to help Pakistan now we need to get help from non-Muslims ??
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Dec 09, 2022 11:02am
@KhanRA, sorry to burst your bubble. None of the countries you mentioned backed Pakistan. Look it up. They did not allow Pakistan to host Saarc in 2016. ALL BACKED INDIA
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Dec 09, 2022 11:28am
For our Pakistan's sake let's just concentrate on Pakistan, and forget about India and India-centric war hype. If we are economically strong nobody will dare to harm us. Please we the citizens are more important not the Afghan Talibans, Kashmiris or Khalistanis.
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Dec 09, 2022 11:55am
First fulfil previous SAARC decisions and WTO agreements ... Then only progress will be made
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Dec 09, 2022 11:57am
@KhanRA, why you wish to push other countries down your path... No thank you.
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Dec 09, 2022 12:10pm
@Pro.Jamhoor, why not.
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Dec 09, 2022 12:39pm
Where are three dossiers submitted by Pakistan to UN? Dustbin.
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Dec 09, 2022 12:40pm
No chance of SAARC meeting. Bankrupt Pakistan, Afghanistan, SL has nothing to contribute. SL will revive, while no chance for other two.
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Dec 09, 2022 12:45pm
@Ch M Nayyar, First good comments by PDM wale PM saab in a long time. Better trade and relationships should be sought.
Not on the blood of our brothers, Kashmiris of IOK. Never.
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Dec 09, 2022 12:46pm
@point of view, What Pakistan could offer to SAARC?
Under PDM-Nothing. Saarc is dead. RIP.
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Dec 09, 2022 01:14pm
SAARC is a dead duck and useless unless China becomes a member and leads it. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri lanka, Nepal and Pakistan all trade and rely on China for their progress while India is a hub of terrorism and violates UN resolution by illegally occupying Kashmir, IOK.
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Dec 09, 2022 01:19pm
Countries who don't want to talk like the pariah of South Asia - india always have cultures of violence and do not belong in the 21st century world order.
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Dec 09, 2022 01:57pm
Trade between SAARC countries should be enhanced with bilateral relations with each individual country and it should be of more interest for the businessmen community to explore all possibilities as what businessmen of Pakistan want to export and import from SAARC countries
If businessmen community of Pakistan and India explore possibilities as what they can export and import, keeping in view of two side trade volume, India will not be able to block Pakistan from holding SAARC sumit in Pakistan
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Dec 09, 2022 02:01pm
In a tweet he posted to mark the Saarc Charter Day, PM Sharif reminded that the people of South Asia had suffered because of “missed opportunities” for regional development, connectivity and cooperation
Its Indian occupation of Kashmir, IOK that is cause of failure of SAARC. Thats why he is not Leadership quality, get him out.
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Dec 09, 2022 02:32pm
The best thing the PM can do right now is call transparent elections !!
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Dec 09, 2022 02:48pm
@Dr. Rafiq Khan, Countries who don't want to talk like the pariah of South Asia - india always have cultures of violence and do not belong in the 21st century world order.
Very well said.
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Dec 09, 2022 02:50pm
The leaders are not used to take realistic and pragmatic decisions, even when they want to take it, they can't because they have hyped the people's emotions to such levels that it is impossible to do so. To appease the electorate back home they are even prepared to become a point of ridicule, for e.g. in a summit on food security they will talk Kashmir. This behaviour has led to regional forums like SAARC redundant, so it make sense to have SAARC summit only if Pakistan has revised its policy.
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Dec 09, 2022 03:12pm
Joke of the century.
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Dec 09, 2022 03:21pm
Not elected PM. IK was elected on a mandate. What he is doing undemocratic. Go to the people show you have the guts.
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Dec 09, 2022 03:23pm
@Mega Dehati, Quite right. Sharifs are like hoovers gobble
up other people's money.
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Dec 09, 2022 03:36pm
No one trusts the Crime minister
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Dec 09, 2022 03:40pm
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif trying to dip his hand into the SAARC cash pot to see if there is any loose change lying at the bottom of the pot.
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Dec 09, 2022 03:54pm
Good intentions. Go ahead, talk to India first, first declare all SAARC members as MFNs open up trade, travel.
The 65+ individuals, and families travels be allowed for easiest visa regime. Follow EU regulations in place.
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Dec 09, 2022 04:13pm
@Zak , seems like you have rebooted and back to your normal self.
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Dec 09, 2022 04:15pm
@Zak, think there is malfunction - you need to reboot!
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