The leaders of SAARC nations, the high commissioners, ambassadors from the SAARC member countries and representatives of the SAARC bodies commemorated the day by reiterating the aims and goals of the SAARC Charter. This day marks the signing of the SAARC Charter in 1985 by the Leaders of SAARC Countries at the First SAARC Summit held in Dhaka. The 35th SAARC Charter Day in India is being observed, on Tuesday, the 8th of December, 2020.
SAARC embodies the desire of the peoples and governments of South Asia to work collectively to promote mutual understanding, good neighbourly relations and meaningful cooperation among the Member States. The main objectives of SAARC are to promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in the economic, social, cultural and technical and scientific fields on the basis of respect for the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, political independence and non-interference in the internal affairs of each other.
Trade bloc consisting of the South Asian countries was planned and created by the president Ziaur Rahman during the late 1970’s. There was a meeting related to the Bangladeshi proposal held in the Colombo in the year 1981 which was later accepted by the following countries Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India. The statement on the South Asian Regional Cooperation was accepted by the leaders in a meeting held in New Delhi in the month of August in 1983.
And later, on 8th of December in 1985, the leader of the Seven South Asian Countries (means Maldives, India, Bhutan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladeshi and Sri Lanka) had signed the contract (means charter) in order to set up the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). SAARC was joined by the Afghanistan as a Member during the 14th meeting of SAARC in Delhi in the month of April, 2007.
On this special occasion the National Assembly adopted a Resolution on SAARC re-iterating Bhutan’s strong commitment towards SAARC and its seriousness in supporting a strong regional organisation which works for the upliftment of the lives of millions in South Asia.
Earlier on the morning of 8th December, 2010, members of the SAARC community led by Hon. Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba, Minister, Ministry of Works & Human Settlements lit 1000 butter lamps at the Kuenray, Tashichhdzong.
As the host of the Sixteenth SAARC Summit, Bhutan has added responsibility to raise public awareness of the work of the Association and further enhance the image of SAARC in the international community. Towards this, Lyonchhen Jigmi Y. Thinley, Hon’ble Prime Minister and Chair of SAARC will host a reception at the Convention Centre and release special commemorative stamps to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of SAARC.
SAARC has made progress, but more needs to be done. Our efforts for greater collaboration have repeatedly been challenged with threats and acts of terrorism,” Modi said.”Such an environment impedes our shared objective of realising the full potential of SAARC. It is critical that all countries in the region take effective steps to defeat the scourge of terrorism and the forces that support it.
In the last three years, India has been distancing itself from the SAARC, citing security challenge facing the region from terror networks based in Pakistan, which is also a member of the grouping.
On his part, Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan, in his message on the 35th SAARC Charter Day, expressed the hope that the hiatus created in SAARC’s continuous progression would be removed.
The SAARC Summit, in 2014, was held in Kathmandu, which was attended by Modi. The 2016 SAARC summit was to be held in Islamabad. But after the terrorist attack on an Indian Army camp in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir on 18 September that year, India expressed its inability to participate in the summit due to “prevailing circumstances”.
The summit was called off after Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan also declined to participate in the Islamabad meet.
SAARC, set up as an organisation to build a connected and integrated South Asia, aims at promoting the development and progress of all countries in the region. India continues to support various initiatives to achieve closer cooperation in diverse areas. SAARC summits are usually held biennially and hosted by member states in alphabetical order. The member state hosting the summit assumes the Chair of the Association.
The 11 stated areas of cooperation in the Charter are agriculture; education, culture, and sports; health, population, and child welfare; the environment and meteorology; rural development (including the SAARC Youth Volunteers Program); tourism; transport; science and technology; communications; women in development; and the prevention of drug trafficking and drug abuse. The charter stipulates that decisions are to be unanimous and that “bilateral and contentious issues” are to be avoided.
SAARC Charter Day is commemorated every year to mark the signing of this Charter.
