Take steps to restart SAARC, says Farooq Abdullah

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah has called for the revival of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pursue peace with Pakistan and help India advance on the global stage.

Abdullah, who was speaking on Wednesday at a book launch, cited the example of recent meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, followed by the latter’s subsequent meeting of the European leaders and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“Time has come when even our Prime Minister (Modi) has to take such steps that India can walk with the world for peace... Time has come to restart SAARC. We must take strong steps from our side and find the path to peace — for the peace of the whole world. The world has become very small, and if we cannot keep this small world with love, then this world will leave us,” said the former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

Established in 1985, SAARC is a regional intergovernmental organisation and geopolitical union of South Asian countries, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, Bhutan and Afghanistan.

Despite the numerous projects and initiatives that emerged from SAARC meetings, tensions between India and Pakistan have periodically negatively impacted regional cooperation and SAARC-related activities.

It has been over a decade since the last SAARC summit was held in November 2014.

Though admitting that none of it would be easy, the 87-year-old leader emphasised that only “hard steps can save our nation and shape the world”.

He added that he would pray to the Almighty for the current government to take up this responsibility. Reflecting on the 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan and the lasting wounds it inflicted, Abdullah said the division sowed hatred between Hindus and Muslims — a rift that has continued to harm the nation.