National/Regional/International Affairs
By N. P. Upadhyaya (Aryal)
Kathmandu: The incumbent Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Abrar H Hashmi, has set the ball rolling. Notably, Pakistan has been a distinguished member of the SAARC regional body since 1985.
Ambassador Hashmi threw the ball immediately after the secular Indian regime had almost transformed itself into a much-desired Hindu nation.
While the Consecration Ceremony of the Lord Rama temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, was accomplished on January 22, 2024, with all the fanfare then Ambassador Hashmi, on January 24, 2024, made a daring endeavor to resuscitate India killed SAARC regional body.
SAARC regional body hasn’t moved an inch since Nepal assumed the Chair of the regional organization that now comprises Afghanistan as well apart from the original seven countries that initially founded the Regional Organization.
The insertion of Afghanistan was India’s choice and the special preference of the proxy of the Italian queen Mrs. Sonia Gandhi.
Dr. Man Mohan Singh, then Indian Prime Minister, was almost like a personal secretary to Mrs. Sonia Gandhi.
The current Chair of the now-defunct SAARC regional organization is Nepal, presumed to be the proxy of the Hindu supremacist Indian regime which mercilessly killed SARRC just to keep Pakistan at a distance.
Some even claim that it is India’s foreign minister Jay Shankar running the foreign policy of Nepal and that Nepali FP swings to the dictates of the “HANUMAN”, monkey god of the Lord Ram era.
Minister Shanker resembles that of a lanky monkey indeed.
It was this monkey who terrified the entire Nepal’s foreign ministry when he landed in Kathmandu, on January 4, 2024, and threatened that he would boycott the joint meet as Nepal has invited Chinese State Officials on that day for talks in Kathmandu.
This monkey took Nepal as his parent’s fiefdom.
The inner intent of the Indian establishment is not to allow the “SAARC grouping” to converge and collectively talk on Pakistan-India relations in a shared manner.
India fears that as and when the SAARC members are in one place, they will for sure approach distinguished members of both countries to patch up their non-ending political adversarial, if not inimical bilateral relations since the very first days of the grand partition of the South Asian vast landmass.
Highly placed diplomatic sources even claim that India remains ever scared as to someone from the SAARC conglomerate proposed “mediation” between the two countries that are almost divided on two differing religions: India is finally a Hindu nation after January 22, 2024, while Pakistan is an Islamic State. India though pretends to be a secular state constitutionally.
The rolling ball which apparently was for a special purpose, I guess for, the benefit of the entire region worked resulting in the arrival of yet one more South Asian Ambassador from Sri Lanka, Air Chief Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana (retired) and the two distinguished South Asian Ambassadors held a friendly meet inside the premises of Pakistan embassy.
Needless to say, both Sri Lanka and Pakistan are founding fathers of the SAARC regional body, as stated earlier, which kicked off as early as 1985 December. (The author of the story was present at the very inaugural meeting that was held in Kathmandu).
The Bangladeshi senior diplomat Abul Hasan Chaudhary was unanimously asked by the “grouping” to take over the post of the Secretary General of the newly formed Regional organization.
Back to the point: The two envoys from Pakistan and Sri Lanka for sure must have talked about their bilateral ties apart from the issue of the revival of the India-killed SAARC.
To recall, Pakistan came to the rescue of Sri Lanka in wiping out the India-sponsored and backed Tamil Tiger separatists in the year, I recollect, 2009 with the combined support of the emerging mega power, China.
Sri Lanka at times behaves double with the world: it is seen as close to India then it prefers on the contrary to have a comfortable distance from China under India’s excessive pressure.
India to recall, catapulted the Rajapaksa regime for some mysterious reasons and, we have been told, has now an India-favoring set up to steer the nation which means Colombo has distanced itself from Beijing under Delhi’s extreme weight.
Regrettably, Sri Lankan top leadership fails to assert its sovereign role and thus feels scared of Indian wrath if and when Colombo clashes with New Delhi.
The Maldivian President Muizzu’s courage and stamina is what is absent in Colombo which is why India gets encouraged in dominating Colombo.
Gone are the days when Ranasinghe Premadasa the 3rd president of Sri Lanka used to challenge India.
President Premdasa was highly critical of India.
So as of now, Sri Lanka prefers to distance itself from China for some understandable reasons.
However, the fresh Maldivian stance may hit the brains of Sri Lankan leadership and they dare to challenge India’s continued hegemony.
The Pakistani Ambassador Abrar H Hashmi met the Sri Lankan envoy Air Chief Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana (Retd) at his embassy, several media outlets say.
This apart, Colombo and Islamabad enjoy best of the relations on matters of defense cooperation, and happily, Ambassador Pathirana is learnt to have graduated from Pakistan Risalpur defense academy.
They met and discussed whether the revival of the SAARC body apart from other bilateral and regional matters is clear but what remains unclear or to be understood is how the regional grouping shall be revived. And who will take the maiden initiative in this regard? Who shall approach other SAARC countries to gain support from the rest of the members?
Who will bell the wild cat?
The question also is logical as to which country shall dare to proceed to “bell the regional wild cat” that India is.
The question also is should Pakistan on its own take the initiative and call upon India to be kind enough to give a lease of life to the SAARC regional body for the good of the regional countries?
At times modesty also works.
Or Pakistan and Sri Lanka in a collective manner issue a joint statement and call upon the Indian side to help in reviving the almost-killed SAARC?
Or should the Pakistan and Sri Lankan governments right from Islamabad and Colombo make a joint appeal to India from their respective countries?
The last option could also be to seek meaningful support from Nepal, the current Chair of the SAARC body and issue a joint statement right from Kathmandu, Islamabad and Colombo.
Logically speaking, Nepal must shoulder this onerous task as the Chair of the regional body.
If and when Nepal singly or jointly (with Islamabad and Colombo) issues a statement calling upon India then I think India must not have any fear as such.
Nepal can issue the statement alone or even in a collective manner. All that Islamabad and Colombo now need is to press Nepal hard in issuing the joint stamen at the earliest.
If Nepal agrees then Nepal’s foreign minister or the foreign secretary Madame Lamsal can summon the Ambassadors from B’desh, Bhutan, Maldives and Afghanistan and appeal to them all to help her in airing the joint statement so that India is forced to listen to the collective plea of the SAARC member countries.
If not then the Pakistan Ambassador could initiate his official conversations with the rest of the South Asian regional envoys and this way he could build pressure right from Kathmandu on Delhi.
Fortunately, the Pakistani Ambassador Hashmi paid a courtesy call on the newly appointed Foreign Secretary of Nepal, Mrs. Sewa Lamsal, and as the reports trickled out in the media, claims that the two distinguished dignitaries from Nepal and Pakistan apart from their bilateral talks, they also discussed on how to rejuvenate the almost dead SAARC.
Mrs. Lamsal to recall, was Nepal’s Ambassador to Pakistan a few years ago.
Though the inner details of what transpired between the two are not known, however, what is known is that during the meeting, the SAARC revival topic cropped up and hopefully the Pakistani envoy may have suggested the Current Chair, Nepal, take up the issue and once again make an appeal to India to allow the SAARC regional body to resume its regular duties.
However, the question ultimately is can Nepal dare to issue a statement appealing to India to allow the resumption of the SAAR body?
Has Nepal’s foreign minister N. P. Saud or for that matter, the Nepali foreign secretary Sewa Lamsal collected the courage to press India through the issuance of a statement?
Take it for granted N. P. Saud shall never dare to tease his Indian Foreign minister Shanker as we have seen him trembling several times in Kathmandu and Delhi.
New Foreign Secretary may dare to do so but on January 04, 2024, India’s Hanuman Minister when threatened to boycott the joint meeting as Nepal had invited one Chinese guest for a talk on the same day of Hanuman’s arrival in Kathmandu, the entire foreign ministry has been trembling since.
Well, we have offered our views. Now it is up to Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal how to proceed ahead for the resumption of the SAARC regional body.
Concluding remarks: As Pakistan is yet to have a formal and stable government at the center, it would be pertinent to wait for a while so that Hashmi may brief his new government on how Pakistan should take up the issue of the resumption of the SAARC regional body.
Last but not least, the Pakistani envoy should meet his counterparts available in Kathmandu. This will yield positive results ultimately. Better late than never a praiseworthy move was taken up by Ambassador Hashmi. That’s all.
(The article was scheduled to appear early this February. However, the first part of this article has been well connected after three weeks or so: Upadhyaya).
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect People’s Review’s editorial stance.
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