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Let’s fight against illiteracy, poverty, not each other: PM
No exchange of courtesies, no handshake: Nawaz, Modi keep distance* Nawaz says his vision for region is of a ‘dispute-free South Asia’
* Stresses building convergences, minimising divergences for greater good of people of the region
KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Wednesday that his vision for the region was of a “dispute-free South Asia” where, instead of fighting against one another, the countries jointly fought poverty, illiteracy, diseases, malnourishment and unemployment.
“We should build on convergences, minimise divergences and most of all, seek to augment complementarities for the greater good of the people of this region,” the prime minister said in his address to the 18th summit of South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The summit kicked off on Wednesday where leaders of the eight member SAARC states got together in Nepal’s capital to find ways to make the regional grouping more viable and effective. Prime Minister Nawaz stressed that the gap between the promise of SAARC and reality of its accomplishments needed to be bridged.
Nawaz Sharif urged to invest for youth to unleash their creativity, talent, and enterprise and stressed to strengthen mutual bonds of trust to solve problems. He said the economic development of South Asia was closely linked to the availability of energy at an affordable price. He said an interactive process would reveal the beauty and strength a true South Asian identity. “We should build on our inherent strengths and effectively address common issues, such as socio-economic disparities, poverty alleviation, women empowerment, health, and education.”
He, however, pointed that it needed close coordination at national and regional levels. The prime minister said while pursuing the SAARC socio-economic agenda, there was a need to pay special attention to rural development, expansion of agricultural resource base, development of action plans to combat communicable diseases, greater collaboration in health sector, elimination of illiteracy, scientific and technological capacity-building and development of information and communication technologies. He said with abundant alternate energy resources available region-wide, there was a need to collectively focus on harnessing indigenous energy production potential.
He proposed arrangements for trans-regional oil and gas pipelines. He said Pakistan by virtue of its geographic location at the confluence of South Asia, West Asia and Central Asia, was a natural economic corridor for the region. He said promoting regional connectivity was one of the seven pillars of Pakistan’s development strategy. “My government is actively pursuing this initiative which has the potential to integrate South Asia, China, and Central Asia, the three engines of growth in Asia. A soft visa regime would greatly facilitate the realisation of these objectives,” Nawaz said.
The prime minister said Pakistan attaches great importance to SAARC as the organisation had come to epitomise the hopes and aspirations of the peoples of this region, for peace, progress and prosperity. He said having hosted 4th and the 12th SAARC summits, Pakistan will be pleased to offer itself to host the 19th SAARC summit in Islamabad. He said more than one fifth of the population of the region was between 15-24 years of age - the largest number of youth to ever make transition into adulthood. He, however, regretted that the region accounts for only 6 percent of world GDP in purchasing power parity, and only 4 percent share in world trade, while attracting only 3 percent of global FDI.
“If we look at a region which is home to nearly one quarter of humanity on the planet, it is mired in poverty, disease and illiteracy, with lowest human and social indicators.” He pointed that South Asia was one of the least integrated regions in the world. He said theme of the 18th SAARC Summit – “Deeper Integration for Peace and Prosperity” was most appropriate and reflected the common desire for promoting mutual understanding and reaching out to each other, to create a win-win scenario. Nawaz said the cultural affinity among the people of the region was a huge asset and said shared geography and history had culminated in a unique synthesis of cultures and traditions.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said SAARC could contribute immensely towards building a trust surplus among member states and focusing on interfaith and inter-cultural harmony.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk