Manmohan’s vision: Exclusive interview with the Prime Minister of India

Himal: Do you believe that the Government of India and the Indian intelligentsia are today more aware of the need for Southasian integration? What has led to this change?

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh: India has always been aware that it cannot prosper and progress without its neighbouring countries also prospering, and progressing, in equal measure. It is only through partnerships and cooperation that we can harness our respective strengths. We believe that historically the Southasian region has flourished the most when it has been connected to itself, and to the rest of the world. It is because of this that under India´s chairmanship of SAARC, we focussed on strengthening connectivity in our region – physical, economic and of the mind.

There is today in Southasia an unprecedented economic vibrancy. This has brought with it a historic opportunity to eliminate poverty and disease from our region.  But we are also aware of the enormous challenges that have to be overcome, such as terrorism, climate change and food and energy security.

Due to India´s size and centrality in the region, talk of Southasian regionalism is seen with suspicion by some, as a part of India´s attempt to economically overwhelm its neighbours. Others see regionalism as a ganging-up by the smaller neighbours against India. How do you react to these extreme positions?
These are mindsets of the past, which we have to jettison. They have stood in the way of Southasia occupying its rightful place in the world. India has always believed in peace and friendship with her neighbours. SAARC is an association that provides an opportunity for its eight member states to walk the path of progress together, to overcome developmental challenges facing the region together, and to seize the opportunities that a rapidly globalizing world offers. As the largest country in SAARC, India will contribute to regional prosperity in a non-reciprocal asymmetric manner.

Some say that regionalism´s direct impact will be seen not through development programmes or political engagement, but through economic growth that will touch all 1.4 billion people of the region. Would you agree and why?
Rapid economic growth is the essential first step to enable the generation of resources and surpluses that can be used for social and economic development. Having said this, it is equally essential for economic growth to be inclusive, and not lead to greater inequity.  It is incumbent on all of us to create the conditions for such growth and all-round development.

Economic development projects that are being undertaken within the SAARC framework, as well as those that will be financed by the newly created SAARC Development Fund, are steps in this direction.  I am heartened that SAARC has, for the first time, taken steps to implement joint development projects in areas such as women´s empowerment, child and maternity care, renewable energy sources and better agriculture practices.

What are the specific steps the Government of India is planning to take to achieve ´interconnectivity´?
We are taking steps to upgrade border infrastructure and road and rail links at important border crossing points.  Progress has been achieved in upgrading our rail and road network upto points along the India-Nepal, India-Bhutan and India-Bangladesh borders. We have hosted the first SAARC Transport Ministers Meeting in August 2007, which deliberated on the SAARC Regional Multimodal Transport Study. We have also circulated a draft Motor Vehicles and a draft Railways Agreement among SAARC members to operationalise seamless travel between the member states.

In addition to physical connectivity, we have undertaken other initiatives. The first is the tele-education project that will link the Indira Gandhi National Open University to other Open Universities within the SAARC region. The project will commence by establishing links with Sri Lanka´s Open University.

The second is the hosting of the South Asian University that we expect will become operational by 2010.  This University will bring world class education to Southasian students and build the leaders of tomorrow. The third is the tele-medicine project connecting super-speciality hospitals within SAARC member states, which has taken off with the commencement of the India-Bhutan and India-Sri Lanka linkages. Fourthly, we hosted the first SAARC Cultural Festival in December 2007. This was extremely successful in capturing the imagination of our youth, and show-cased the potential for greater people-to-people contacts. We have committed USD100 million to the SAARC Development Fund´s Social Window. I am happy that the Fund has already started functioning on an interim basis, and two projects on women´s empowerment, and child and maternity health have been circulated to member states.   In the area of trade, we have taken several steps to open our markets to our neighbours on a non-reciprocal basis. We have decided to give zero duty access to the LDCs from January 1, 2008. We have also unilaterally reduced our negative list with respect to exports from LDCs.

You have spoken of making borders irrelevant. And yet, it is India that is promoting the hardening of frontiers, with thousands of kilometres of barbed-wire fences along its eastern and western borders. How do you see the process of dismantling beginning, even as fences are in the process of being put up?
India is committed to intra-regional integration through SAFTA and the other mechanisms that I have just elaborated.  The increase in regional tourism, exchange of scholars, greater people-to-people contacts would not have taken place if we were putting up barriers. In fact, with the entry of Afghanistan, the geographical contours of SAARC have widened.

At the same time, we have a duty to ensure that our people prosper and progress in a secure environment.  Southasia has witnessed the most heinous acts of terrorism in living memory in recent times, including the bombing of our embassy in Kabul where precious lives were lost.   The scourge of terrorism must be removed from our midst and criminals and terrorists must never go unpunished. There can be no economic growth or development without peace and security.  We need to take all necessary measures to combat  terrorism and trans-national crimes like trafficking of women and children.  Measures that facilitate better border management and prevent illegal trans-border movement are in the interests of all sides.

Till now, Southasian regionalism has been limited to relationships between the national capitals. Do you see a need to expand outwards, from capital-centric regionalism? Should not India allow its constituent states to communicate more easily across international frontiers?
The feeling that regionalism is beneficial to all Southasian countries has to permeate to the grassroot level.  Regionalism can become self-sustaining only when it enjoys the support of the people, and they see benefit in it. The idea, for example, of ´SAARC model villages´ is predicated precisely on this belief. Citizens of our border states have cultural, religious and family ties that span across our borders. This said, we must understand that the sovereign nature of decision making cannot be overlooked in international relations.

The India-Pakistan rivalry is said to keep all Southasia hostage. Do you think that the relationship is improving, and if so, how do you see this impacting the rest of the region? What can you tell the Southasian audience about the prospects of the Kashmir issue in the coming year?
India seeks to establish peaceful, friendly and cooperative ties with Pakistan. We are committed to addressing all outstanding issues, including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, through bilateral discussions. In the last four years that my government has been in office, we have been able to make substantial progress in our relations with Pakistan. Today, there is a large constituency for peace in both our countries, and there is an opportunity to move ahead. However, improvement in our relations requires an atmosphere that is free from terrorism. Terrorism weakens and undermines efforts towards peace and normalisation.  We would like to see the implementation in letter and spirit of commitments made to bring to an end terrorist activities originating in Pakistan.

New Delhi´s relationship with Dhaka is fraught with tension, and this is reflected in India´s inability to buy Bangladeshi natural gas. How would you proceed to develop the relationship, and overcome suspicions in Dhaka about Indian intentions?
I cannot agree with this characterisation of our relations with Bangladesh. We attach great importance to our relations with Bangladesh. We have shared historical and civilisational bonds and face common challenges. Our relationship is multifaceted and dynamic and has expanded substantially in recent years. We are committed to further strengthening our relations on the basis of friendship, trust and understanding for the mutual benefit of our people. We have recently started a rail service between Kolkata-Dhaka in April fulfilling a long standing aspiration of the people of both countries. We have also substantially expanded our economic ties. We hope that these positive developments will pave the way for us to address issues relating to security, water resources, connectivity and transit.

Many observers in the region notice selectivity in India´s engagement with the neighbours. For example, the Government of India was laudably supportive of the Nepali people´s fight for peace and democracy, but has played a hands-off role in the Bhutanese refugee crisis for more than a decade. How do you find a balance between principle and practicality?
It has been our consistent position that the wishes of the people are paramount in any democratic framework. In the ongoing peace process, we have supported Nepal´s transition to a democratic, peaceful and prosperous state as per the wishes of the people and Government of Nepal. As far as the Bhutanese refugee crisis is concerned, it is a bilateral matter between Nepal and Bhutan. The process of resettlement of refugees to third countries has recently begun.  We hope that these two countries would be able to resolve this long pending humanitarian issue at the earliest.

The development of Sri Lanka-India economic links is held out as an example for other bilateral relationships in Southasia.  What is so significant about this relationship?
Since the entry into force of the India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement in March 2000, our trade has grown rapidly. Sri Lanka is our largest trade partner in the SAARC region, and the total volume of our trade stands at almost USD 3.3 billion in 2007. India is the third largest destination of Sri Lankan exports while India is the fourth largest investor in Sri Lanka. We have close to 120 airline flights per week and tourist arrivals from India are the largest. It is my hope that the conclusion of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement  will further boost  trade in goods and services, investment and economic cooperation.  I hope we can extrapolate this win-win economic relationship throughout the region.