SAARC summits have often had to be postponed for one reason or another. Indo-Pakistani ties are often cited as a reason. But the postponement of the 13th summit in Dhaka has resulted from something else. First scheduled for January 9 and 10, it had to be put off, rightly so, after the tsunami hit three member countries hard just ahead of the event — India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Rescheduled for February 6 and 7, the summit has been postponed again after the Indian government officially said on Wednesday that Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh would not attend the summit for reasons such as the security situation in Dhaka. King Gyanendra was to represent Nepal after he declared direct rule on Tuesday.

No doubt, the summit will be rescheduled for a third time. During the past two decades, only 12 summits have taken place despite the fact that the SAARC charter provides for annual summits. Politics in and between member states has become mainly responsible for this. Except for unavoidable circumstances like the tsunami, the member states would do well to take necessary steps to avoid any situation that might lead to the postponement. Admittedly, the regional grouping has little to show by way of concrete achievement for the people of the region who account for one-fifth of humanity. If the spirit of regional cooperation is to be captured fully, the member states need to take solid steps towards rejuvenating the organisation which has scored notable gains only in making grandiose declarations or plans such as an economic union, making high-sounding commitments, and observing particular years or decades dedicated to certain themes, without being serious about implementing them. For example, the Islamabad summit signed three agreements — a SAARC Social Charter, the framework agreement for a South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA) and the additional protocol to the convention on combating terrorism — besides endorsing the report of the Independent Commission for Poverty Alleviation in South Asia. But not much has come of it.

Such an approach will take the SAARC nowhere. The regional body should set objectives and targets which are realistic and achievable. Building on the gains, it should move forward. At the 13th summit, among the issues to be addressed was terrorism. But the member states have their own perceptions, including a workable definition of terrorism. This may have slowed regional cooperation in this area. The Dhaka summit was also expected to sign several agreements related to trade. Besides, member countries had proposed other agendas. In view of its records, the SAARC should focus on making good the earlier commitments rather than on making new ones that are difficult to realise.