As Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) forum’s summit this week, a sizeable portion of Indian diplomatic energy is focused on addressing the earthquake tragedy in Myanmar, one of its key members, which has also affected Thailand, another member. The remaining members — Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka — are from South Asia.

While the PM directs India’s active contribution to international relief and rehabilitation efforts in Myanmar, he must also address the longer-term challenge of revitalising the BIMSTEC forum. A quarter-century after its establishment in 1997, BIMSTEC finally received a charter at the 2022 Colombo summit, which came into effect last year after all members ratified it. The leaders gathering in Bangkok will issue a vision document outlining the forum’s ambitions. Several new initiatives, including one on maritime connectivity, are expected to be announced. With its full international persona now established, BIMSTEC can collaborate with other regional actors and global institutions.

Any reference to BIMSTEC inevitably raises its unfortunate image as an alternative to SAARC, the stalled forum for regional cooperation in the Subcontinent. This perception arose partly because the Modi government’s push to enhance BIMSTEC activity followed immediately after the SAARC summit’s failure in 2014. Though senior SAARC officials had negotiated two broad connectivity agreements and ministers had approved them, Pakistan’s leadership withdrew at the last minute, reportedly because its army opposed regional cooperation with India. Amid lamentations about SAARC’s failure or India’s supposed neglect, it’s crucial to recognise that Pakistan remains unwilling to participate in any regional integration........

© Indian Express