South Asian union

With Pakistan set to host the upcoming Saarc summit in November, the country is returning to the centre of regional politics at a time when it is finding itself increasingly isolated. Hosting the Saarc Finance Ministers Conference on Friday, both Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and finance minister Ishaq Dar sounded bullish about Pakistan’s prospects in the region.

Talk remained bold at the Saarc meeting, with the Saarc secretary general floating the idea of converting the region into the South Asian Economic Union. The reality is that talk of such a union is just talk at a time when the two key players, India and Pakistan, cannot seem to get along. The insistence that Pakistan is ready for regional cooperation is indeed a welcome one. The trouble is that it is all good to talk about joint strategies of development, but the real challenge is to implement them. Saarc remains an alliance with little real effect on political or economic affairs. The power of Saarc still remains in its potential but not its actual functionality. It may be a bold dream to have but it is time it becomes more than this.

Hisham Khan

Karachi