The voluminous Kathmandu declaration!

What could be fairly said after watching the entire proceedings of the eleventh SAARC Summit held in this Himalayan Kingdom from January 5-6, 2002, is that the indo-Pakistan bilateral conflict clouded the rest of the important transactions of the SAARC process. Albeit, the SAARC leaders at the end of the two day "mega-affair" did issue a cumbersome " declaration" as usual wherein they all have pledged that henceforth the SAARC process will continue as usual come what may. The Kathmandu declaration, which comprises of 56 paragraphs contained in the voluminous eleven pages is not only terrible in size but apparently very hard to realize the important points contained therein. Issuing declarations for all the good things and that too in the name of the poor and greatly confused South Asians have become a regular feature of the leaders belonging to this part of South Asia. Declaring and pledging ear-pleasing rhetoric is one thing. Bringing the pledges made into full implementation is entirely different and indeed a difficult task. The South Asian leaders would do well if they talk less and act fast or else they will lose whatever confidence their voters possess for them back home in their constituencies.

If one were to recall the first ever SAARC Summit held in Bangladeshi capital some sixteen years back, and the declaration made then one would discover that save some points, the rest of the pledges made here in Kathmandu at the conclusion of the Summit were almost same and intelligent researchers would do well if they could trace the same pledges being repeated over and over again only to make yet another pledge perhaps in Pakistan, the next host of the SAARC Summit scheduled for early 2003 if things do not deteriorate.

Why convening this sort of costly mega event every year if this doesn't yield positive results for the beleaguered people of South Asia? Has this SAARC process brought us all closer ? Have our leaders listened to our voices? Has this process been of some help in reducing the never-ending bilateral conflict that is going on in between India and Pakistan from the very first days of their partition?

The answers perhaps all come in negative. The fact is that except some peripheral achievements, the SAARC movement has so far not achieved some thing that could be termed as substantial or tangible. The whole process has become very expensive for the people of this region indeed which the leaders of this region now must realize. Posing for "all smiling photographs" at the end of each concluding ceremonies and that too for the public consumption, specially meant for their respective voters back home, will neither enhance the spirit of SAARC nor will lead it to bag its declared objectives.

In saying so, we do not wish to send wrong signals neither to the leaders of the SAARC nor to our learned readers within or without. We have remained an advocator of this movement from the very first days of its inception and will continue to remain so. However, we strongly differ with the leaders of the South Asia over their steering the entire regional process with laxity. The speed with which the regional grouping would have proceeded is distinctly lacking. The reasons are indeed obvious. The main cause that has been plaguing the process to become slow is definitely the bilateral conflict going since five decades or so between the two South Asian giants, India and Pakistan.

It is time that these two countries vow in order not to impede the growth of the SAARC. Fortunately enough, at Kathmandu both the Indian and the Pakistani leaders have hinted that the process "should not" be the victim of their bilateral rivalries. We wish that the two South Asian leaders stick to their promises made in Kathmandu and let the process attain new heights. Failing to do so would send very wrong signals to the people of the region.

Finally, the Eleventh SAARC Summit was a success in the sense that two very important conventions have been signed here that would henceforth take care of the issues of girl trafficking for prostitution and that of the children. The most significant achievement was definitely that this Summit brought the two South Asian arch rivals together who till the other day were all set for yet another war.

Last but not the least, the host country Nepal perhaps benefited immensely in the sense that the summit concluded smoothly which will apparently send positive signals to the foreigners abroad who wish to visit Nepal.

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