Neighbourhood watch

Covid-19 has given India an opportunity to regain the goodwill it lost in south Asia

- MANDIRA NAYAR

IT WAS A SMALL, virtual step, but it could be a giant leap for the entire south Asian region. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 15 connected with leaders of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) over video conference and discussed strategies about putting up a united front against Covid-19.

“Our region is home to one-fifth of humanity,’’ said Modi, opening the conference. “As developing countries, all of us have significant challenges with access to health facilities. Our people-to-people ties are ancient. Our societies are deeply interconnected. We must all prepare… to act… and to succeed together.”

The significance of Modi initiating the meeting—appreciated by the US and Russia—cannot be ignored. Equally important is the sheer magnitude of the battle ahead. All countries were represented at the meeting by their heads of state or government. Presidents Ibrahim Mohamed Solih of the Maldives, Gotabaya Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka and Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan, Prime Ministers Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh and Lotay Tshering of Bhutan were present. Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, who underwent a kidney transplant in March, also attended. The only exception was Pakistan, which was represented by Zafar Mirza, special assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan.

This was the first time a SAARC summit was held after the Kathmandu meeting of 2014. Modi’s diplomatic initiative has come at a time when domestic issues in India, like the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, are hurting its external relations. Friendly neighbours such as Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Nepal are concerned about the Act and its implications.