Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Forewords to the First and Second ASEAN Reader: ASEAN: Conception and Evolution
- Forewords to the First and Second ASEAN Reader: ASEAN: The Way Ahead
- Forewords to the First and Second ASEAN Reader: New Challenges for ASEAN
- SECTION I ASEAN: THE LONG VIEW
- SECTION II COUNTRY ANALYSES
- SECTION III COMPARATIVE ANALYSES OF THE REGION
- Southeast Asian Societies
- The Southeast Asian Economy
- Southeast Asian Politics
- SECTION IV INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS
- SECTION V INSTITUTIONS OF ASEAN
- SECTION VI ASSESSING ASEAN'S INTERNAL POLICIES
- ASEAN Political Security Community
- ASEAN Economic Community
- ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community
- SECTION VII ASSESSING ASEAN'S EXTERNAL INITIATIVES
- ASEAN Processes
- 61 Driving East Asian Regionalism: The Reconstruction of ASEAN's Identity
- 62 Pakistan, SAARC and ASEAN Relations
- 63 Neither Skepticism nor Romanticism: The ASEAN Regional Forum as a Solution for the Asia-Pacific Assurance Game
- 64 ASEAN Plus Three and the Rise of Reactionary Regionalism
- 65 How the East Asia Summit Can Achieve its Potential
- 66 ‘Talking Their Walk’? The Evolution of Defense Regionalism in Southeast Asia
- 67 ASEAN FTAs: State of Play and Outlook for ASEAN's Regional and Global Integration
- 68 Taking ASEAN+1 FTAs Towards the RCEP
- 69 RCEP and TPP: Comparisons and Concerns
- 70 Enhancing the Effectiveness of CMIM and AMRO: Selected Immediate Challenges and Tasks
- ASEAN's Major Power Relations
- SECTION VIII SOUTHEAST ASIA: PERIPHERAL NO MORE
- Bibliography
- The Contributors
- The Compilers
62 - Pakistan, SAARC and ASEAN Relations
from ASEAN Processes
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 June 2017
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Forewords to the First and Second ASEAN Reader: ASEAN: Conception and Evolution
- Forewords to the First and Second ASEAN Reader: ASEAN: The Way Ahead
- Forewords to the First and Second ASEAN Reader: New Challenges for ASEAN
- SECTION I ASEAN: THE LONG VIEW
- SECTION II COUNTRY ANALYSES
- SECTION III COMPARATIVE ANALYSES OF THE REGION
- Southeast Asian Societies
- The Southeast Asian Economy
- Southeast Asian Politics
- SECTION IV INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS
- SECTION V INSTITUTIONS OF ASEAN
- SECTION VI ASSESSING ASEAN'S INTERNAL POLICIES
- ASEAN Political Security Community
- ASEAN Economic Community
- ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community
- SECTION VII ASSESSING ASEAN'S EXTERNAL INITIATIVES
- ASEAN Processes
- 61 Driving East Asian Regionalism: The Reconstruction of ASEAN's Identity
- 62 Pakistan, SAARC and ASEAN Relations
- 63 Neither Skepticism nor Romanticism: The ASEAN Regional Forum as a Solution for the Asia-Pacific Assurance Game
- 64 ASEAN Plus Three and the Rise of Reactionary Regionalism
- 65 How the East Asia Summit Can Achieve its Potential
- 66 ‘Talking Their Walk’? The Evolution of Defense Regionalism in Southeast Asia
- 67 ASEAN FTAs: State of Play and Outlook for ASEAN's Regional and Global Integration
- 68 Taking ASEAN+1 FTAs Towards the RCEP
- 69 RCEP and TPP: Comparisons and Concerns
- 70 Enhancing the Effectiveness of CMIM and AMRO: Selected Immediate Challenges and Tasks
- ASEAN's Major Power Relations
- SECTION VIII SOUTHEAST ASIA: PERIPHERAL NO MORE
- Bibliography
- The Contributors
- The Compilers
Summary
INTRODUCTION
Both ASEAN and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) have a diverse array of economies at different levels of development and contain a wide range of cultural, religious, and ethnic and linguistic communities. Territorial disputes whether on land or at sea are also a facet of both regions. War has erupted between India and Pakistan on three occasions and there have been almost continuous skirmishes along the Line of Control (LOC), which dissects Kashmir into Pakistani and Indian-held territories. ASEAN too has its share of insurgency and separatist conflicts along some of its common borders. The main difference with regards to security problems between the regions is that India and Pakistan are declared nuclear weapons states, which magnify the political tensions in South Asia manifold compared to those in ASEAN. Both regions also display different characteristics as economic groups. The founding of ASEAN was with the participation and blessings of the biggest and most influential member of the group, Indonesia. In contrast, the founding of SAARC in 1985 was largely the initiative of smaller economies such as Bangladesh and Nepal. The late President of Bangladesh Ziaur Rahman was the main instigator for SAARC's formation. Together with the support of smaller countries such as the Maldives, he sought consensus from the leaders of India and Pakistan. Other impediments to greater intra-SAARC trade are structural because there is also a lack of transportation (land, sea and air) and information dissemination to promote intra-regional trade. SAARC members have to focus on mobilizing their resources to build up their infrastructure to enable greater economic activities. However, the lack of political will and prevailing political differences are the biggest obstacle to creating trade complementarities within the SAARC region.
Unlike SAARC, ASEAN has largely managed to keep problematic bilateral issues between its members from derailing regional initiatives. SAARC's regional initiatives have been sidelined when bilateral disputes flared up in the region. This paper argues that SAARC could move ahead by using economic benefits to marginalize the “ghosts of the past”. Kashmir has become the symbol that has divided India and Pakistan for over 50 years, much like the Berlin Wall divided East and West Germany.
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- The 3rd ASEAN Reader , pp. 328 - 333Publisher: ISEAS–Yusof Ishak InstitutePrint publication year: 2015