In a major development to repair ties between Islamabad and New Delhi, India finally lifted its ‘objection’ to the nomination of Ambassador Amjad Hussain Sial as the new secretary-general of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) by sending consensus to the nomination made by Islamabad, paving the way for the revival of the regional grouping.
Previously, India had attempted to block the nomination of Ambassador Sial on ‘procedural grounds’ as the next secretary-general of the South Asian body. “India sent its concurrence on Thursday and it is likely to be received at the Secretariat in a day or two. This is a positive signal from New Delhi and it seems that India has felt it was hurting the SAARC which is the best forum for taking up regional matters,” an official said.
“We can hope that this step would help things improve,” he said, adding that Indian High Commissioner to Islamabad Gautam Bambawale had played a key role in normalisation of the ties. “This breakthrough may prove to be a major source of future talks in helping Pakistan and India come to the table again. Since the region is facing a new wave of terror activities, I believe that Pakistan, India and Afghanistan may restart dialogue on joint counterterrorism strategy,” said a senior official, requesting anonymity.
A well-placed official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed the receipt of the Indian concurrence to Ambassador Sial’s nomination as new SAARC secretary general. A senior diplomat in the Maldivian Embassy also confirmed the development, saying that this step would help revive the SAARC to its full scope. With the Indian objection withdrawn, Ambassador Sial is all set to assume charge of his office on March 1 and would continue to serve for a three-year period till February 28, 2020.
Documents available with Pakistan Today stated that Sial’s nomination was made at the SAARC Council of Ministers in Pokhara in Nepal in March 2016 and was endorsed by all member states. Receipt of the concurrence to Sial’s appointment from all eight member states was notified by the SAARC Secretariat on September 8, 2016. India later tried to block Sial’s nomination in last week of January this year, setting a new precedence to the group’s history.
Through a diplomatic memo on January 28, India asked the SAARC Secretariat to adhere to the due working procedures in the appointment of Thapa’s successor. New Delhi had referred to Article-V of the memorandum on the establishment of the SAARC Secretariat, which details the procedure for the appointment of the secretary-general and under which the appointment has to be approved by the Council of Ministers comprising foreign ministers of the member states.
India claimed that the nomination had to be ratified by the council meeting in Islamabad, which could not be held due to postponement of the summit after India and some of its regional allies pulled out of the meeting. However, diplomatic sources said that India has now withdrawn its objection following a flurry of diplomatic efforts from the other member states.
Recently, Maldivian Ambassador Ahmed Saleem publicly admonished New Delhi for adopting delaying tactics to Ambassador Sial’s nomination, warning that such tactics could lead towards dissolution of the SAARC itself. In an interview with Pakistan Today, he had called upon Pakistan and India to table all their bilateral issues at the SAARC and their neighbours could also help resolve their outstanding issues.
“Whether it is Kashmir or terrorism – the member states can use SAARC forum to discuss and resolve their bilateral issues. They can also engage on the sidelines of the grouping too. But harming the SAARC would be unwise as the South Asian group is the best thing happening to this region. This is not about Pakistan or India, SAARC is about future of 1.6 billion people of the region and no one should hurt the regional forum,” said Saleem who himself has served as the secretary-general.
He said that appointment of Ambassador Sial was a done deal. “We must remember that this is Pakistan’s turn. This is a tradition that every three years, secretary general changes according to the alphabetical order. So, whoever is nominated by Pakistan, automatically is approved by all member states. It’s a matter that has been decided according to the traditions for the past 32 years,” he insisted.
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