PM urges SAARC nations to tap Pakistan’s economic potential

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said that Pakistan, being a founding member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), attached great importance to the organisation's success and reaffirmed its commitment to the objectives and purposes of its charter.

"It is only through adhering to the principles of sovereign equality and mutual respect among member states, that we would be able to utilise the true potential of Saarc and achieve our cherished goal of a prosperous and developed South Asia," the prime minister said in a message on 36th Saarc Charter Day being observed on December 8.

On behalf of the people and the government of Pakistan, the prime minister felicitated the governments and the citizens of the member states of Saarc on the Charter Day.

According to a PM Office media wing statement, the prime minister further said that the Saarc charter was envisioned to promote regional cooperation and to accelerate the pace of social and economic development in South Asia.

"The association encapsulates the hopes and aspirations of one fifth of humanity. It symbolises the hope that the challenges faced by the region can be overcome through regional cooperation," he observed.

The prime minister further said Pakistan's pivotal geo-economic location offered a great opportunity for the region.

"My government's vision for Pakistan is to leverage our location to act as a trade and transit hub to benefit the peoples of the region and beyond. It is unfortunate that due to longstanding unresolved disputes among the member states, Saarc countries have been unable to take advantage of Pakistan's potential as a melting pot for positive economic interest and consequently the region has not been able to achieve the desired socio-economic cooperation and prosperity in the region so far," the statement quoted the prime minister as saying.

Premier Imran expressed the hope that the Saarc process would be allowed to move ahead without artificial obstacles being erected in its progress and Saarc would be enabled to function as an effective instrument of regional cooperation.

"It is the need of the hour that we move forward with the spirit of cooperation that was instrumental in the formation of Saarc,” the PM stressed.

He said the global pandemic was a grim reminder to all the member states that they needed to work together and cooperate on issues of common interest more than ever.

The onset of the pandemic, he said, has further underscored the importance of poverty alleviation for the national governments in a region that was home to one of the world's largest poor populations and remained one of the least integrated globally.

"Now is the time to come forward to pool our resources, rather than look inwards, for providing a better future to the vulnerable segments of our societies through the platform provided by Saarc," he further stressed.

Saarc Charter Day is observed annually on December 8, which marks the signing of its charter in 1985 by the Saarc countries leaders at its first summit held in Dhaka. (With input from app)