Ans: Pakistan’s Relations with SAARC Countries:
SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) is an
organisation for regional cooperation of the South Asian countries. The idea
for its formation was presented by the ex-Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Mr..
Zia-ur-Rahman, in 1980, but this organisation was established in 1985. The
basic aim of this organisation was to increase joint cooperation among the
member countries. The following countries are included in this organisation:
1 Pakistan 2. Afghanistan 3. Bangladesh 4. Sri Lanka 5. Nepal 6. Maldvies 7. Bhutan 8. India
Following are the main objectives of this organization.
1. To promote the welfare of people of South Asia and improve their quality of
life.
2. To encourage active collaboration and mutual assistance among the
member countries in economic, cultural, technical and scientific fields.
3. To promote and strengthen mutual self-reliance among the countries of
South Asia.
To promote joint cooperation, the organisation chose different fields
including telecommunication, meteorology, transport, ship-building, tourism,
agricultural research, and promotion of joint ventures in scientific, technical
and educational fields. Many protocols were signed among the SAARC
countries and many advantages were gained on regional basis. For
example, holding of SAARC Games, as a result of which mutual cooperation
is being promoted by the participation of the players of the eight countries in
these games every year. Agreements were signed for nuclear installations
and air services.
Pakistan and Bangladesh:
1. Pakistan recognized Bangladesh in Lahore in 1974, on the occasion of the
Second Islamic Heads Conference.
2. Different agreements were signed in July 1976, m Dhaka, between the two
countries for improvement in the fields of ship-building, banking and
telecommunication.
3. The first Meeting of Heads of SAARC was held in 1985, and the Seventh
Meeting of Heads of SAARC was held in 1993, in Dhaka, the capital of
Bangladesh where many steps were taken to promote trade among the
SAARC countries.
4. An agreement was signed between Pakistan and Bangladesh in 1993,
according to which Pakistan would provide 300 tractors to Bangladesh in the
future two years.
5. The 13th Conference of Heads of SAARC was held in Dhaka in 2005 in
which Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Khaleda Zia, was elected as the
President of SAARC for the next year. In this meeting, Pakistan laid stress
on resolving matters of dispute and declared that the solution of the Kashmir
issue was undeniable for the regional future and growth. Different sports
competitions are being held between Pakistan and Bangladesh. Bilateral
trade is being promoted. From the SAARC platform, cooperation in various
fields is underway between the two countries.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka:
1. Sri Lanka is an island country surrounded by sea from all sides. Its main source
of income is fishing. Tea, coconut and rubber is in plenty in Sri Lanka. It exports
these goods and earns foreign exchange. The Sinhalese and Tamil people
inhabit Sri Lanka. Both are different from each other. Tamil and Sinhalese
languages are spoken:
2. The 6th SAARC Heads Conference was held in 1991 in Colombo, the city of
Sn Lanka. Different proposals were discussed for controlling the growing
trends of terrorism and violence in Asia. The Prime Minister of Pakistan Mian
Muhammad Nawaz Sharif gave proposals for establishing permanent peace
in the region, to abide by the UN Charter and elimination of nuclear
weapons.
3. The 10th SAARC Heads Conference was held also in Colombo, the city of
SA Lanka in 1996, in which the SAARC countries stressed for eradicating
poverty and promoting joint collaboration.
4. The 15th SAARC Heads Conference was also held in Sri Lanka in 2008. In
this session, the SAARC countries presented different proposals for bilateral
cooperation in the fields of energy, environment, resources of water, tourism,
culture, trade, science and technology and education.
5. In 2010, Pakistan and Sn Lanka signed an agreement of free trade in which
both countries agreed to increase the mutual trade volume.
6. The President of Sri Lanka visited Pakistan in 2015 and met the Prime
Minister of Pakistan. On this occasion, Pakistan and Sri Lanka signed
various agreements including cooperation in the fields of defense, nuclear
energy, prevention of drug smuggling, sea trade and sports etc.
7. In 2016, Prime Minister of Pakistan visited Sri Lanka. During this visit,
different agreements and memorandums were signed. During the present
period, various cultural, tourist and trade delegations are exchanged
between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Pakistan and Nepal:
1. Nepal is a mountainous country. Its main source of income is tourism. The
world’s highest mountain peak, Mount Everest, is located in Nepal.
2. The Third SAARC Heads Conference was held in 1987, in Kathmandu, the
capital of Nepal. In this conference, it was clear that all other six countries,
except India, held the same ideas and thinking. All were also agreed to
combat the food crisis in the SAARC countries.
3. The Eleventh SAARC Conference was held in 2002, in Kathmandu, the
capital of Nepal. In this conference, a resolution was passed for economic
development, eradicating of poverty, cooperation in health, environment,
communication, social development and eradicating of terrorism.
4. The eighteenth SAARC Heads Conference was held in Nepal in 2014, in
which Prime Minister of Pakistan participated. A joint communique was
issued at the end of the conference which member countries agreed to
enh. nce regional and economic cooperation and establishment of SAARC
De lopment Fund. The SAARC countries have also signed an energy
partnership agreement.
5. In 2018, the Prime Minister of Pakistan visited Nepal. On this occasion, the
Prime Ministers of Pakistan and Nepal agreed to further promote
cooperation in the fields of trade, defense and culture.
Pakistan and Maldives:
1. Maldives consists of more than one thousand islands in the Indian Ocean.
The major profession of the people is fishing. Male is its capital. Conch and
seashells are collected and exported to other countries. 2. 2. The Fifth SAARC Conference was held in 1990 in Male, the capital of
Maldives. The President of Maldives played the host. The Pakistani
delegation was headed by the Prime Minister, Mian Muhammad Nawaz
Sharif. The withdrawal of Iraqi forces from Kuwait and imposing restriction on
3. In 1997, the Ninth SAARC Heads Conference was held in the Maldives, in
I which it was emphasized on the solution of various problems facing the
member countries. The Seventeenth SAARC Heads Conference was also
held in Maldives in 2011. In the joint communique the SAARC countries
committed for peace, the protection of human rights and eradication of
4. The President of Maldives has visited Pakistan in 2015. In 2017, the Prime
Minister of Pakistan visited the Maldives. During the visit, the two countries
signed several memorandum of-understanding for further promoting of
bilateral cooperation in various fields including trade, education and tourism.
Different goods are traded between Pakistan and Maldives.
poverty.
Pakistan and Bhutan;
1. Bhutan is a mountainous country. Its capital is Thimphu which is situated on
the banks of River Thimphu. The people belong to the Mongol Tribe. There
are many forests in Bhutan. People earn their living by woodcutting and
logging. Most of its population live in valleys. Raising sheep and goats is an
important profession. The official language of Bhutan is Dzongkha.
2. In 2010, the 16th SAARC Heads Conference was held in Thimphu, Bhutan’s
capital. The Prime Minister of Pakistan represented Pakistan in the
conference. A joint statement was issued at the end of the conference, which
member countries agreed to take effective measures to eradication of
poverty, terrorism and tackle the climate changes.
3. In 2011, the President of Bhutan visited Pakistan and met Prime Minister of
Pakistan. The two leaders agreed to further promote the bilateral tourism
and trade. In terms of the scope of SAARC, Pakistan has developed a very
close relationship with Bhutan. Different trade and cultural delegations are
exchanged between Pakistan and Bhutan.