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Published : 21 Feb 2025, 10:14 PM
India has once again blamed Pakistan for the stagnation of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, or SAARC, after Bangladesh called for reviving the regional bloc.
In a strong stance against Islamabad, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also warned that Bangladesh should not “normalise terrorism”.
Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal revealed on Friday that this discussion took place during Jaishankar’s meeting with Bangladesh’s Foreign Advisor Touhid Hossain in Oman’s Muscat.
During a weekly briefing, Jaiswal said: “Yes, the matter was brought up by the Bangladesh side in an external affairs meeting when EAM met with Bangladesh's foreign advisor in Muscat.”
"Everyone in South Asia is aware of which country and what activities are responsible for stymieing SAARC,” he said.
EAM conveyed that it is important that Bangladesh should not normalise terrorism,” he added.
SAARC has remained largely inactive for over a decade due to strained India-Pakistan relations, with no summit taking place since 2014.
Following the political shift in Bangladesh in August 2024, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has been advocating for reviving the regional bloc.
At a meeting with South Asian cancer specialists on Dec 12, Yunus said: “SAARC is of great importance to me. Right after taking office as chief advisor, I spoke about reactivating SAARC.”
"SAARC is not functioning due to 'certain issues' between India and Pakistan. I believe these bilateral problems should not affect other nations.”
He added, “If South Asian leaders meet annually and stand together for a photo, it sends a message to the world that ‘we are united’.”
Foreign Advisor Touhid also highlighted Bangladesh’s commitment to reviving SAARC in a recent article in the Indian Express.
He wrote, “SAARC has remained dysfunctional for over a decade. The interim government has made a sincere effort to make it functional again.”
"So far, we have not received a positive response from India. However, we do not believe India has anything to fear from this initiative.”
The former diplomat added, “We understand that full regional cooperation will take time. But a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
"As a first step, can our leaders at least take a photo together at a summit to demonstrate our long-term commitment?" he asked.
During the Indian Ocean Conference in Muscat on Sunday, Advisor Touhid met Jaishankar and emphasised holding a SAARC Standing Committee meeting.
Bangladesh’s foreign ministry later said he urged India to consider the matter.
At Friday’s Indian foreign ministry briefing, another journalist asked whether statements by certain advisors in Bangladesh, some of which were “quite aggressive”, were affecting bilateral discussions.
In response, Jaiswal said: “Yes, we obviously have taken note of such remarks, which are, of course, not helpful. It is for the concerned individuals to reflect on implications for their particular domain.”
