Europe, which has one visa, one currency stronger than the dollar and one parliament to reflect on the decisions taken by individual parliaments, could not be more different to South Asia, which is troubled by internal conflicts and external threats. The region's two main countries, India and Pakistan, are not even on speaking terms. Even the limited trade between Srinagar and Muzzafrabad was suspended a few days ago.
It's not that the European countries have never quarrelled. They have, in fact, fought wars for hundreds of years. But they were ultimately seduced by the idea of conciliation and cooperation, which has brought them prosperity and stability.
But South Asia remains stagnant. It is still mired in distrust and disruption. Its leaders have never risen above their pettiness and parochialism. It seems that countries in the region realised at one time that they could benefit through friendship and founded the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc). But their egos and enmity towards one another are so great that they have not allowed the organisation to function. They simply cannot cast off their animosity to begin a new chapter.
The result is that South Asia has the largest number of poor and illiterate in the world. The child mortality rate is also one of the highest, violations of human rights are rife and infrastructure is lacking. Whatever resources these governments have they spend on armaments — the deadlier, the better. And they have enacted so many draconian laws in the name of security that they have encroached on individual freedoms.
What the rulers in the region do not realise is that governance depends not on the police or the paramilitary forces, but the willing consent of the people. Development is the key. The better off people are, the less tension there will be.
India's GDP is increasing by eight to nine per cent per year. But when 70 per cent of its people do not have enough even to afford two square meals a day, what does this growth mean? The fallout has been the increased sway of Maoists, who believe in armed struggle to "free the masses" from poverty. In Pakistan, particularly in Punjab, the growth of Talibanisation has been primarily due to dire poverty. Those wallowing in it have come to believe that fundamentalism is the only solution to their problems.
The Taliban can be defeated provided the army is focused and supported by the political parties. But the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) hopes to gain from the turmoil. I was disappointed by Nawaz Sharif's latest speech, which criticised the Asif Zardari government for not making amendments to the Constitution to make it more democratic but did not have a word to say about the Taliban.
China card
In Nepal, the government feels that it can reap a rich harvest if it plays the China card against India. The Nepalese prime minister has visited Beijing in the belief that if Kathmandu were to court China, this would end New Delhi's ‘dominion'. The real malady is that political parties have not learned how to behave in a democratic set-up.
In fact, the point of concern for South Asia is the manner in which China is trying to act as a Big Brother in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and even Bangladesh. Islamabad is already on Beijing's side. Some countries in the region think it is New Delhi that should worry because China's strategy is to surround India. Yet Beijing's real ambition is to dominate the region.
Eight Saarc countries bear responsibility for unleashing the forces of destruction. Pakistan has opened the Pandora's box of terrorism. Many gullible people still believe that the Taliban only want to bring the ‘true' Islam to come back. Does this mean killing the innocent and denying women education and freedom?
New Delhi has released the Frankenstein of Balkanisation by proposing to create the state of Telangana. In doing so the Manmohan Singh government has reignited the fires of division. The government may come to rue the day it announced the formation of Telengana.
In Pakistan, there is a demand for autonomy by Balochistan, the North Western Frontier Province and Sind. It looks as if the country faces a real danger of disintegrating.
In contrast, Bangladesh has consolidated itself under democratic government. Decentralisation of power is the only way to keep nations together, but no country in the region seems to realise this. I hope that Sri Lanka has learned this lesson. Otherwise, other elements from among the Tamils may rise and constitute themselves into another LTTE to demand the right to rule themselves.
Governance in South Asia is practically non-existent. In India, there are small fires of defiance burning all over. More stringent measures, the mantra of Home Minister P. Chidambaram, will only lead to increased resistance. This is a lesson for the rest of South Asia.
If countries in the region had a common union they could face the challenges of terrorism and backwardness. But they would rather shoot at their neighbours than cooperate. This is holding South Asia back.
Kuldip Nayar is a former Indian high commissioner to the United Kingdom and a former Rajya Sabha member.
