ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan says it is the need of the hour that the region moves forward with the spirit of cooperation that was instrumental in the formation of Saarc, while also hoping that the Saarc Process would be allowed to move ahead without artificial obstacles being erected in its progress, and it would be enabled to function as an effective instrument of regional cooperation.
Imran Khan’s message was released by the Foreign Office in which he felicitated the governments and the citizens of the member states of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) to commemorate the 36th Saarc Charter Day.
It is no secret that India has stalled Saarc by boycotting the annual summit to be hosted by Islamabad some years back. Since then no Saarc summit could be held though lately virtual meetings have been possible keeping the pandemic in mind.
Without naming India, Imran Khan said, “It is unfortunate that due to longstanding unresolved disputes amongst the member states, Saarc countries have been unable to take advantage of Pakistan’s potential as a melting pot for positive economic interest and consequently the region has not been able to achieve the desired objectives.”
He pointed out that his government’s vision for Pakistan is to leverage its location to act as a trade and transit hub to benefit the people of region and beyond.
Pakistan, being a founding member of Saarc, attaches great importance to the organization’s success and reaffirms its commitment to the objectives and purposes of its charter. Pakistan firmly believes that Saarc symbolises the hope that the challenges faced by the region can be overcome through regional cooperation.
“It is only through adhering to the principles of sovereign equality and mutual respect among member states that we would be able to utilise the true potential of Saarc and achieve our cherished goal of a prosperous and developed South Asia,” said the prime minister.
The Saarc Charter was envisioned to promote regional cooperation and to accelerate the pace of social and economic development in South Asia. The Association encapsulates the hopes and aspirations of one fifth of humanity.
Imran Khan pointed out that the global pandemic is a grim reminder to all of us that we need to work together and cooperate on issues of common interest more than ever.
“The onset of the pandemic has further underscored the importance of poverty alleviation for the national governments in a region that is home to one of the world’s largest poor populations and remains one of the least integrated globally. Now is the time to come forward to pool our resources, rather than looking inwards, for providing a better future to the vulnerable segments of our societies through the platform provided by Saarc,” he pointed out.