📝SAARC Disaster Management Centre (SDMC), Delhi, India
🔶This Centre was re-established in November 2016 for expanded role by merging four erstwhile SAARC Centres viz.
(1) SAARC Disaster Management Centre (SDMC – New Delhi, India);
(2) SAARC Meteorological Research Centre (SMRC – Dhaka, Bangladesh);
(3) SAARC Forestry Centre (SFC – Thimphu, Bhutan);
(4) SAARC Coastal Zone Management Centre (SCZMC – Male, Maldives) with the mandate to support Member States in their Disaster Risk Reduction initiatives through application of Science & Technology, knowledge from multiple disciplines, exchange of best practices, capacity development, collaborative research and networking in line with the Global Priorities /Goals and other relevant frameworks adopted by Member States.
🔶This Centre was re-established in November 2016 for expanded role by merging four erstwhile SAARC Centres viz.
(1) SAARC Disaster Management Centre (SDMC – New Delhi, India);
(2) SAARC Meteorological Research Centre (SMRC – Dhaka, Bangladesh);
(3) SAARC Forestry Centre (SFC – Thimphu, Bhutan);
(4) SAARC Coastal Zone Management Centre (SCZMC – Male, Maldives) with the mandate to support Member States in their Disaster Risk Reduction initiatives through application of Science & Technology, knowledge from multiple disciplines, exchange of best practices, capacity development, collaborative research and networking in line with the Global Priorities /Goals and other relevant frameworks adopted by Member States.
📝Trade and Commerce: The SAARC Preferential Trade Arrangement (SAPTA)
🔶The idea of including trade and commerce on the agenda of SAARC was first given a concrete form in 1993 with the signing of (SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA) signed in Dhaka on the 11th of April 1993 which provided for the adoption of various instruments of trade liberalization on a preferential basis.
🔶 Another aspect was SAARC’s more economically developed countries agreed to assist the less developed countries in the region. SAPTA was launched in 1995.
🔶The idea of including trade and commerce on the agenda of SAARC was first given a concrete form in 1993 with the signing of (SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA) signed in Dhaka on the 11th of April 1993 which provided for the adoption of various instruments of trade liberalization on a preferential basis.
🔶 Another aspect was SAARC’s more economically developed countries agreed to assist the less developed countries in the region. SAPTA was launched in 1995.
📝 Features of (SAFTA)
🔶Member states will reduce tariff barriers in a time bound manner. Maximum tariff will be in the range of 0-5%.
🔶Non LDC’s of SAARC (India, Pakistan, Srilanka) had a timeframe of 7 years to reduce tariffs, while the LDC’s were provided a time frame of 10 years. As per SAFTA, South Asia was to become a free trade zone by 2016. Instead of positive list, concept of sensitive list was introduced (sensitive list would include items which would not be subjected to time bound commitment with regard to tariff reduction). However, it was agreed upon that sensitive list would be revised regularly with the objective of bringing reductions.
🔶A dispute resolution mechanism for tariff and non-tariff barriers related disputes was agreed upon
🔶Member states will reduce tariff barriers in a time bound manner. Maximum tariff will be in the range of 0-5%.
🔶Non LDC’s of SAARC (India, Pakistan, Srilanka) had a timeframe of 7 years to reduce tariffs, while the LDC’s were provided a time frame of 10 years. As per SAFTA, South Asia was to become a free trade zone by 2016. Instead of positive list, concept of sensitive list was introduced (sensitive list would include items which would not be subjected to time bound commitment with regard to tariff reduction). However, it was agreed upon that sensitive list would be revised regularly with the objective of bringing reductions.
🔶A dispute resolution mechanism for tariff and non-tariff barriers related disputes was agreed upon
📝Steps to Strengthen SAFTA
🔶At SAARC summit 2011-India has announced the removal of 46 textile items from India’s negative list
(a) India has also removed all the 25 items on sensitive list for Least Developed Countries (LDC’s) of SAARC.
(b) Steps have been taken to revive border hats at Meghalaya & Tripura border b/w India & Bangladesh.
(c) India has given five South Asian partners duty free access to 99.7% of their goods
🔶At SAARC summit 2011-India has announced the removal of 46 textile items from India’s negative list
(a) India has also removed all the 25 items on sensitive list for Least Developed Countries (LDC’s) of SAARC.
(b) Steps have been taken to revive border hats at Meghalaya & Tripura border b/w India & Bangladesh.
(c) India has given five South Asian partners duty free access to 99.7% of their goods
📝Sluggish Progress: Views from Within
🔶For the first time member countries at the Thimpu Summit in Bhutan, marking the 25th anniversary, in 2010 expressed their frustration with SAARC’s sluggish progress.
🔶The then Prime Minister of India Manmoha Singh expressed his disappointment by saying that “the glass of regional cooperation, regional development and regional integration is half empty” and emphasized that “the region must be better connected, empowered, fed and educated” to achieve comparable success with other regional organizations.
🔶In 2014 PM Narendra Modi in his speech at the 18th SAARC Summit in Kathmandu observed that “nowhere in the world are collective efforts more urgent than in South Asia; and, nowhere else is it so modest.”
🔶He also observed that “Each of us (South Asian Countries) has taken our own initiatives.
However, as SAARC we have failed to move with the speed that our people expect and
want”.
🔶For the first time member countries at the Thimpu Summit in Bhutan, marking the 25th anniversary, in 2010 expressed their frustration with SAARC’s sluggish progress.
🔶The then Prime Minister of India Manmoha Singh expressed his disappointment by saying that “the glass of regional cooperation, regional development and regional integration is half empty” and emphasized that “the region must be better connected, empowered, fed and educated” to achieve comparable success with other regional organizations.
🔶In 2014 PM Narendra Modi in his speech at the 18th SAARC Summit in Kathmandu observed that “nowhere in the world are collective efforts more urgent than in South Asia; and, nowhere else is it so modest.”
🔶He also observed that “Each of us (South Asian Countries) has taken our own initiatives.
However, as SAARC we have failed to move with the speed that our people expect and
want”.
📝SAFTA:Way Forward
🔶In a context when less than 10% of the region's internal trade takes place under SAARC Free Trade Area it is imperative to look for ways to make SAFTA work.
🔶 In recent times Track 2
initiatives, in the context of SAARC, like the South Asian Forum have put forward following recommendations-
1. Enhancing connectivity across borders.
2. Creation of a South Asian brand
3. Liberalized visa regime for businesses & freedom to invest across borders.
🔶In a context when less than 10% of the region's internal trade takes place under SAARC Free Trade Area it is imperative to look for ways to make SAFTA work.
🔶 In recent times Track 2
initiatives, in the context of SAARC, like the South Asian Forum have put forward following recommendations-
1. Enhancing connectivity across borders.
2. Creation of a South Asian brand
3. Liberalized visa regime for businesses & freedom to invest across borders.
📝Causes for the Limited Progress of SAARC
🔶Some of the major reasons for the limited progress on the part of SAARC to take off in any concrete manner has been due to-
1. Origin of SAARC- since its inception, SAARC was seen as a tool by some countries to contain India, while India also harbored its own apprehensions that the organization may be used by smaller states to score political points against it at multilateral forums.
2. India- Pakistan relations: bilateral difficulties between two of the largest members of SAARC have had casted a long shadow over the idea of SAARC. Other members of SAARC have often argued that the SAARC grouping has been crippled/ has been held back because of the fluctuating nature of their relationship. Moreover, Pakistan has never supported the idea of strengthening SAARC as it fears that India will occupy centre stage within the grouping.
🔶Some of the major reasons for the limited progress on the part of SAARC to take off in any concrete manner has been due to-
1. Origin of SAARC- since its inception, SAARC was seen as a tool by some countries to contain India, while India also harbored its own apprehensions that the organization may be used by smaller states to score political points against it at multilateral forums.
2. India- Pakistan relations: bilateral difficulties between two of the largest members of SAARC have had casted a long shadow over the idea of SAARC. Other members of SAARC have often argued that the SAARC grouping has been crippled/ has been held back because of the fluctuating nature of their relationship. Moreover, Pakistan has never supported the idea of strengthening SAARC as it fears that India will occupy centre stage within the grouping.
📝India’s Contributions
India has made unilateral offers and contributions of:
🔶 Offer of setting up a Special Purpose Facility to finance infrastructure projects in the
region and of business visa for 3-5 years for SAARC (At the 2014 Summit)
🔶 upgradation of the SAARC Supra Reference Laboratory at Kathmandu,
🔶supplying vaccines for the children of South Asia,
🔶tele-medicine projects in Afghanistan, Bhutan and Nepal,
🔶launching of SAARC satellite in 2017,
🔶building of South Asian University, at new Delhi, at the cost of around USD 240 million and
🔶voluntary contribution of US $ 100 million to the SAARC Development Fund.
India has made unilateral offers and contributions of:
🔶 Offer of setting up a Special Purpose Facility to finance infrastructure projects in the
region and of business visa for 3-5 years for SAARC (At the 2014 Summit)
🔶 upgradation of the SAARC Supra Reference Laboratory at Kathmandu,
🔶supplying vaccines for the children of South Asia,
🔶tele-medicine projects in Afghanistan, Bhutan and Nepal,
🔶launching of SAARC satellite in 2017,
🔶building of South Asian University, at new Delhi, at the cost of around USD 240 million and
🔶voluntary contribution of US $ 100 million to the SAARC Development Fund.
📝Recent Developments within SAARC
🔶At the 18th Summit of SAARC in 2014, at Kathmandu, a SAARC Framework Agreement on Energy Cooperation (electricity) was signed. The rationale for signing the SAARC electricity
trade agreement was the impending domestic energy crisis faced by individual member countries. For instance, Pakistan is struggling to meet its rising energy demands. Under this agreement:
🔶 agreement is meant to be an overarching cooperative scheme that aims to address
broad issues such as the enabling of cross border trade in electricity, the development
of a common regulatory mechanism and the waiving of customs fees
🔶 18th summit decided to close down three regional centres, namely the SAARC
Documentation Centre (SDC) in New Delhi, SAARC Human Resource Development Centre
(SHRDC) in Islamabad and SAARC Information Centre (SIC) in Kathmandu and transfer their mandates to the secretariat and other mechanisms.
🔶At the 18th Summit of SAARC in 2014, at Kathmandu, a SAARC Framework Agreement on Energy Cooperation (electricity) was signed. The rationale for signing the SAARC electricity
trade agreement was the impending domestic energy crisis faced by individual member countries. For instance, Pakistan is struggling to meet its rising energy demands. Under this agreement:
🔶 agreement is meant to be an overarching cooperative scheme that aims to address
broad issues such as the enabling of cross border trade in electricity, the development
of a common regulatory mechanism and the waiving of customs fees
🔶 18th summit decided to close down three regional centres, namely the SAARC
Documentation Centre (SDC) in New Delhi, SAARC Human Resource Development Centre
(SHRDC) in Islamabad and SAARC Information Centre (SIC) in Kathmandu and transfer their mandates to the secretariat and other mechanisms.
📝India’s Contributions
India has made unilateral offers and contributions of:
🔶 Offer of setting up a Special Purpose Facility to finance infrastructure projects in the
region and of business visa for 3-5 years for SAARC (At the 2014 Summit)
🔶 upgradation of the SAARC Supra Reference Laboratory at Kathmandu,
🔶supplying vaccines for the children of South Asia,
🔶tele-medicine projects in Afghanistan, Bhutan and Nepal,
🔶launching of SAARC satellite in 2017,
🔶building of South Asian University, at new Delhi, at the cost of around USD 240 million and
🔶voluntary contribution of US $ 100 million to the SAARC Development Fund.
India has made unilateral offers and contributions of:
🔶 Offer of setting up a Special Purpose Facility to finance infrastructure projects in the
region and of business visa for 3-5 years for SAARC (At the 2014 Summit)
🔶 upgradation of the SAARC Supra Reference Laboratory at Kathmandu,
🔶supplying vaccines for the children of South Asia,
🔶tele-medicine projects in Afghanistan, Bhutan and Nepal,
🔶launching of SAARC satellite in 2017,
🔶building of South Asian University, at new Delhi, at the cost of around USD 240 million and
🔶voluntary contribution of US $ 100 million to the SAARC Development Fund.
📝Making SAARC Work
🔶A number of initiatives have been agreed upon by the member countries in the 16th SAARC summit held at Thimpu in 2010 & 17th summit at Addu in 2011.
Following steps have been suggested at the 16th summit-
🔶 It was also realised that effective communication and public diplomacy is essential to reach out to students, youth, private media, think tanks, civil society and institutions for economic development. This would be important to popularize the concept of
regional cooperation and generate an interest among the people of the region on the activities of SAARC. It would essentially build the image of the organization which many consider as a dead horse.
🔶An ambitious vision has been adopted. For example: 2010-2020 has been declared “Decade of Intra-regional Connectivity in SAARC” when member countries themselves are hesitant to provide even bilateral connectivity.
🔶A number of initiatives have been agreed upon by the member countries in the 16th SAARC summit held at Thimpu in 2010 & 17th summit at Addu in 2011.
Following steps have been suggested at the 16th summit-
🔶 It was also realised that effective communication and public diplomacy is essential to reach out to students, youth, private media, think tanks, civil society and institutions for economic development. This would be important to popularize the concept of
regional cooperation and generate an interest among the people of the region on the activities of SAARC. It would essentially build the image of the organization which many consider as a dead horse.
🔶An ambitious vision has been adopted. For example: 2010-2020 has been declared “Decade of Intra-regional Connectivity in SAARC” when member countries themselves are hesitant to provide even bilateral connectivity.
📝Sluggish Progress: Views from Within
🔶For the first time member countries at the Thimpu Summit in Bhutan, marking the 25th anniversary, in 2010 expressed their frustration with SAARC’s sluggish progress.
🔶The then Prime Minister of India Manmoha Singh expressed his disappointment by saying that “the glass of regional cooperation, regional development and regional integration is half empty” and emphasized that “the region must be better connected, empowered, fed and educated” to achieve comparable success with other regional organizations.
🔶In 2014 PM Narendra Modi in his speech at the 18th SAARC Summit in Kathmandu observed that “nowhere in the world are collective efforts more urgent than in South Asia; and, nowhere else is it so modest.”
🔶He also observed that “Each of us (South Asian Countries) has taken our own initiatives.
However, as SAARC we have failed to move with the speed that our people expect and
want”.
🔶For the first time member countries at the Thimpu Summit in Bhutan, marking the 25th anniversary, in 2010 expressed their frustration with SAARC’s sluggish progress.
🔶The then Prime Minister of India Manmoha Singh expressed his disappointment by saying that “the glass of regional cooperation, regional development and regional integration is half empty” and emphasized that “the region must be better connected, empowered, fed and educated” to achieve comparable success with other regional organizations.
🔶In 2014 PM Narendra Modi in his speech at the 18th SAARC Summit in Kathmandu observed that “nowhere in the world are collective efforts more urgent than in South Asia; and, nowhere else is it so modest.”
🔶He also observed that “Each of us (South Asian Countries) has taken our own initiatives.
However, as SAARC we have failed to move with the speed that our people expect and
want”.
📝 India’s Neighbourhood Policy: Neighbourhood First
🔶 When PM Narendra Modi took oath as the 14th Indian Prime Minister in May 2014, he made a significant diplomatic outreach to India’s neighbours by inviting their heads of
government.
🔶 The PM soon made his first foreign visit to Bhutan. Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj too, made her first official foreign visit in the neighbourhood, to Bangladesh. The diplomatic priority that government attached to the neighbourhood is evident from the PM’s visit to all of India’s neighbours, except Maldives, and the numerous leaders hosted in New Delhi and meetings at other multilateral fora.
🔶These developments have gave rise to the term ‘nieghborhood first’ as India’s policy in its periphery.
🔶 When PM Narendra Modi took oath as the 14th Indian Prime Minister in May 2014, he made a significant diplomatic outreach to India’s neighbours by inviting their heads of
government.
🔶 The PM soon made his first foreign visit to Bhutan. Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj too, made her first official foreign visit in the neighbourhood, to Bangladesh. The diplomatic priority that government attached to the neighbourhood is evident from the PM’s visit to all of India’s neighbours, except Maldives, and the numerous leaders hosted in New Delhi and meetings at other multilateral fora.
🔶These developments have gave rise to the term ‘nieghborhood first’ as India’s policy in its periphery.
📝India and Pakistan Relations
🛡️The Background ( Part 1 )
🔶 Pakistan resolution passed in the annual session of the All India Muslim League held in
Lahore on 22–24 March 1940.
🔶 Partition of India 1947: Creation of Pakistan
🔶Kashmir issue was taken up at the UN 1948 and Ceasefire came into existence in 1949.
🔶Pakistan Joins the SEATO (1954) and Baghdad Pact or CENTO (1955)
🔶The Indus Water Treaty was signed in 1960 with the Mediation of the World Bank
🔶6 rounds of talks in1962-64
🔶The India-Pakistan War 1965-
🔶 Tashkent agreement 1966- Both sides giving up territorial claims, withdrawing their armies from the disputed territory.
🛡️The Background ( Part 1 )
🔶 Pakistan resolution passed in the annual session of the All India Muslim League held in
Lahore on 22–24 March 1940.
🔶 Partition of India 1947: Creation of Pakistan
🔶Kashmir issue was taken up at the UN 1948 and Ceasefire came into existence in 1949.
🔶Pakistan Joins the SEATO (1954) and Baghdad Pact or CENTO (1955)
🔶The Indus Water Treaty was signed in 1960 with the Mediation of the World Bank
🔶6 rounds of talks in1962-64
🔶The India-Pakistan War 1965-
🔶 Tashkent agreement 1966- Both sides giving up territorial claims, withdrawing their armies from the disputed territory.
📝India and Pakistan Relations
🛡️The Background ( Part 2 )
🔶The Simla Agreement 1972: Signed between Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto from Pakistan
🔶 The Simla Agreement designates the ceasefire line of December 17, 1971, as being the new "Line-of-Control (LoC)" between the two countries, which neither side is to seek to
alter unilaterally, and which "shall be respected by both sides without prejudice to the recognised position of either side".
🔶 It also contains a, mutual commitment to the peaceful resolution of all issues through direct bilateral approaches.
🔶Domestic turmoil in Pakistan- Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is removed by General Ziaul Haq who becomes the president in 1978 and launches Islamic legal system. Bhutto is hanged in 1979.Operation Meghdoot in 1984 brought the Siachen Glacier under India’s control.
🛡️The Background ( Part 2 )
🔶The Simla Agreement 1972: Signed between Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto from Pakistan
🔶 The Simla Agreement designates the ceasefire line of December 17, 1971, as being the new "Line-of-Control (LoC)" between the two countries, which neither side is to seek to
alter unilaterally, and which "shall be respected by both sides without prejudice to the recognised position of either side".
🔶 It also contains a, mutual commitment to the peaceful resolution of all issues through direct bilateral approaches.
🔶Domestic turmoil in Pakistan- Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is removed by General Ziaul Haq who becomes the president in 1978 and launches Islamic legal system. Bhutto is hanged in 1979.Operation Meghdoot in 1984 brought the Siachen Glacier under India’s control.
📝Causes for the Limited Progress of SAARC
🔶Some of the major reasons for the limited progress on the part of SAARC to take off in any concrete manner has been due to-
1. Origin of SAARC- since its inception, SAARC was seen as a tool by some countries to contain India, while India also harbored its own apprehensions that the organization may be used by smaller states to score political points against it at multilateral forums.
2. India- Pakistan relations: bilateral difficulties between two of the largest members of SAARC have had casted a long shadow over the idea of SAARC. Other members of SAARC have often argued that the SAARC grouping has been crippled/ has been held back because of the fluctuating nature of their relationship. Moreover, Pakistan has never supported the idea of strengthening SAARC as it fears that India will occupy centre stage within the grouping.
🔶Some of the major reasons for the limited progress on the part of SAARC to take off in any concrete manner has been due to-
1. Origin of SAARC- since its inception, SAARC was seen as a tool by some countries to contain India, while India also harbored its own apprehensions that the organization may be used by smaller states to score political points against it at multilateral forums.
2. India- Pakistan relations: bilateral difficulties between two of the largest members of SAARC have had casted a long shadow over the idea of SAARC. Other members of SAARC have often argued that the SAARC grouping has been crippled/ has been held back because of the fluctuating nature of their relationship. Moreover, Pakistan has never supported the idea of strengthening SAARC as it fears that India will occupy centre stage within the grouping.
📝India-Pakistan Relations A Framework:Dialogue-Disruption-Dialogue ( Part 1 )
🔶 The relations between India and Pakistan are marked by divergent narratives starting with the very beginning of these countries as independent nations in 1947 in the backdrop of the colonial rule, the two nation theory and the partition of India. This had made it difficult to reconcile positions on issues ranging from territory (J&K), boundaries (Sir Creek and Siachen) and Security (Terrorism).
🔶The foundational apprehensions of Pakistan against India and its quest for defining itself as the opposite has led to its intransigence on many issues.
🔶The structure of this relation has been conflict prone and marked by asymmetry.
🔶 The pattern in the decades since independence has shown a cycle of Disruption-Dialogue- Disruption. This means cooperation and peace have often taken place parallel to the threats of war or have been disrupted by violent episodes of terrorism.
🔶 The relations between India and Pakistan are marked by divergent narratives starting with the very beginning of these countries as independent nations in 1947 in the backdrop of the colonial rule, the two nation theory and the partition of India. This had made it difficult to reconcile positions on issues ranging from territory (J&K), boundaries (Sir Creek and Siachen) and Security (Terrorism).
🔶The foundational apprehensions of Pakistan against India and its quest for defining itself as the opposite has led to its intransigence on many issues.
🔶The structure of this relation has been conflict prone and marked by asymmetry.
🔶 The pattern in the decades since independence has shown a cycle of Disruption-Dialogue- Disruption. This means cooperation and peace have often taken place parallel to the threats of war or have been disrupted by violent episodes of terrorism.
📝India-Pakistan Relations A Framework:Dialogue-Disruption-Dialogue ( Part 2 )
🔶Though there had been sporadic agreements and treaties signed between India and Pakistan such as the Indus Water Treaty of 1960, the Tashkent Agreement of 1966, and theShimla Agreement of 1972, a systematic peace-process between the two adversarial neighbours had never taken off till the Composite Dialogue Process (CDP) in the late 1990s’
🔶 Idea of a “composite dialogue process” (CDP) was articulated at the 1997 Male meeting between Indian Prime Minister I.K. Gujral and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
🔶However the composite dialogue process has also been disrupted by events such as the Kargil war of 1999, the attack on India parliament in 2001 and the 26/11 attack in Mumbai
in 2008.
🔶When the two countries again started engaging in 2010 it the name of CDP was changed to the ‘Resumed Dialogue’, with some changes in the content, including progress on Mumbai trial.
🔶Though there had been sporadic agreements and treaties signed between India and Pakistan such as the Indus Water Treaty of 1960, the Tashkent Agreement of 1966, and theShimla Agreement of 1972, a systematic peace-process between the two adversarial neighbours had never taken off till the Composite Dialogue Process (CDP) in the late 1990s’
🔶 Idea of a “composite dialogue process” (CDP) was articulated at the 1997 Male meeting between Indian Prime Minister I.K. Gujral and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
🔶However the composite dialogue process has also been disrupted by events such as the Kargil war of 1999, the attack on India parliament in 2001 and the 26/11 attack in Mumbai
in 2008.
🔶When the two countries again started engaging in 2010 it the name of CDP was changed to the ‘Resumed Dialogue’, with some changes in the content, including progress on Mumbai trial.
📝India-Pakistan Relations A Framework:Dialogue-Disruption-Dialogue ( Part 2 )
🔶Though there had been sporadic agreements and treaties signed between India and Pakistan such as the Indus Water Treaty of 1960, the Tashkent Agreement of 1966, and theShimla Agreement of 1972, a systematic peace-process between the two adversarial neighbours had never taken off till the Composite Dialogue Process (CDP) in the late 1990s’
🔶 Idea of a “composite dialogue process” (CDP) was articulated at the 1997 Male meeting between Indian Prime Minister I.K. Gujral and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
🔶However the composite dialogue process has also been disrupted by events such as the Kargil war of 1999, the attack on India parliament in 2001 and the 26/11 attack in Mumbai
in 2008.
🔶When the two countries again started engaging in 2010 it the name of CDP was changed to the ‘Resumed Dialogue’, with some changes in the content, including progress on Mumbai trial.
🔶Though there had been sporadic agreements and treaties signed between India and Pakistan such as the Indus Water Treaty of 1960, the Tashkent Agreement of 1966, and theShimla Agreement of 1972, a systematic peace-process between the two adversarial neighbours had never taken off till the Composite Dialogue Process (CDP) in the late 1990s’
🔶 Idea of a “composite dialogue process” (CDP) was articulated at the 1997 Male meeting between Indian Prime Minister I.K. Gujral and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
🔶However the composite dialogue process has also been disrupted by events such as the Kargil war of 1999, the attack on India parliament in 2001 and the 26/11 attack in Mumbai
in 2008.
🔶When the two countries again started engaging in 2010 it the name of CDP was changed to the ‘Resumed Dialogue’, with some changes in the content, including progress on Mumbai trial.
📝Key Issues Between India and Pakistan
🔶The India-Pakistan joint statement on 23 September 1998, following the meeting of the two Foreign Secretaries in New York, identified the issues to be included in the CDP between the two countries and the levels at which they were to be addressed.
1. Peace and Security including Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) — Foreign Secretaries
2. Jammu and Kashmir — Foreign Secretaries
3. Siachen — Defence Secretaries
4. Wullar Barrage/Tulbul Navigation Project Secretaries, Water & Power
5. Sir Creek — Additional Secretary (Defence)/Surveyors General
6. Terrorism and Drug Trafficking — Home/Interior Secretaries
7. Economic and Commercial Cooperation — Commerce Secretaries.
8. Promotion of Friendly exchanges in various fields — Secretaries, Culture.
🔶The India-Pakistan joint statement on 23 September 1998, following the meeting of the two Foreign Secretaries in New York, identified the issues to be included in the CDP between the two countries and the levels at which they were to be addressed.
1. Peace and Security including Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) — Foreign Secretaries
2. Jammu and Kashmir — Foreign Secretaries
3. Siachen — Defence Secretaries
4. Wullar Barrage/Tulbul Navigation Project Secretaries, Water & Power
5. Sir Creek — Additional Secretary (Defence)/Surveyors General
6. Terrorism and Drug Trafficking — Home/Interior Secretaries
7. Economic and Commercial Cooperation — Commerce Secretaries.
8. Promotion of Friendly exchanges in various fields — Secretaries, Culture.
📝The Indus Water Treaty
🔶The Indus Waters Treaty was signed in 1960 after nine years of negotiations between India and Pakistan with the help of the World Bank, which is also a signatory. Signed by India’s Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the then President of Pakistan, Ayub Khan.
🔶 The treaty pertains to most complete and satisfactory utilisation of the waters of the Indus system comprising of the six rivers running across the Indus basin.
🔶The negotiations were the initiative of former World Bank President Eugene Black.
🔶 Former U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower described it as "one bright spot ... in a very depressing world picture that we see so often."
🔶The Indus Waters Treaty was signed in 1960 after nine years of negotiations between India and Pakistan with the help of the World Bank, which is also a signatory. Signed by India’s Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the then President of Pakistan, Ayub Khan.
🔶 The treaty pertains to most complete and satisfactory utilisation of the waters of the Indus system comprising of the six rivers running across the Indus basin.
🔶The negotiations were the initiative of former World Bank President Eugene Black.
🔶 Former U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower described it as "one bright spot ... in a very depressing world picture that we see so often."