Strong political will needed for regional development: Iftikhar

SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry Senior Vice President Iftikhar Ali Malik on Friday said a new vision and stronger political will are essential tools for the South Asian leaders to develop regional "gateways" and "hubs" to expand trade and commerce in both regional and global markets.
He stated this while talking to President SAARC Chamber Ruwan Edirisinghe in Colombo by telephone. This vision will help tap into latent industrial demand and industry-to-industry links and unlock the potential of the region's resources besides providing new guidelines to its member nations in their effort to achieve the sustainable development goals, he said.
"We will accelerate and sustain the growth momentum of recent years by unlocking the hitherto untapped potential of region's natural resources, industry and infrastructure through sub-regional cooperation," he added.
However, criticizing India for excluding Pakistan from other regional organizations and halting the SAARC progress, he said no durable peace and prosperity is possible without participation of Pakistan; therefore, only that organization will be more effective in which Pakistan's participation is a must.
He said the solutions of all problems lie in the reactivating of SAARC and India should realize that any organization such as the South Asian Sub-regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) cannot be effective until Pakistan's participation. India and Pakistan both should enhance their role to make conditions congenial for meaningful cooperation in south Asia, he said. This challenge can be met only if India and Pakistan and all neighbours work in concert for the benefit of their peoples, he added.
Malik further said if the region hopes to meet its development goals and not risking slowing down growth, poverty alleviation, and shared prosperity, it is essential to make a priority of closing its huge infrastructure gap.