By Aroussa Hafeez

The South Asian region has faced continuous security threats, poverty and many other challenges since long. The regional as well as external major powers try to attain hegemonic position over the small South Asian states.  South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), an organization of South Asian nations was formed for promoting cooperation in political, social, cultural, economic and commercial fields in the region but the organization failed in achieving its objectives due to the perpetual negative role played by India and its rivalry with Pakistan. India is now turning to Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) to center its foreign policy. BIMSTEC has served as an alternative for India where five SAARC countries minus Pakistan and Afghanistan, plus Thailand and Myanmar countries gather for regional cooperation. Albeit, apparently the aim behind formation of BIMSTEC was for the rapid economic development and progress in the region but India got a viable option to forge an effective regional group for its own strategic and economic interests.

India has now turned its focus towards BIMSTEC and is using it as an option of pursuing regional interests and strategic goals. BIMSTEC, after its creation has gathered more favors from India as compare to SAARC, and undoubtedly, it has been due to India’s rivalry with Pakistan. As India is trying to build its sphere of influence and desires to play a hegemonic role over smaller countries, it is striving to materialize its Look East policy and Act East policy. India is all busy in trying to be regional dominant, which also cause an acute sense of insecurity in it. The Bay of Bengal region has been on radar of India along with powers from outside the region because of its emerging strategic and economic importance.

Today, the increasing significance of BIMSTEC in India’s foreign policy is mainly due to the Bay of Bengal, which can be the medium of trade and connectivity.  Moreover, China’s growing influence in Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and its strengthening ties with South Asian countries cause deeper stress for India. BIMSTEC provides a chance for India to build maritime identities. Its security interests are also based on geostrategic positions of south Asian members of BIMSTEC, who can help to limit the expanding influence of China in the region. All the seven members of BIMSTEC hold a unique position in India’s diplomatic interests and it is the only platform which connects India to three main regions from South, East and North.

According to a report of India Ministry of External Affairs, there are 14 priority areas for cooperation in BIMSTEC out of which, India is the lead country in four areas. Although there are not much achievements from the BIMSTEC but the aim of India is clear. The last summit of BIMSTEC took place in Katmandu, Nepal in August, 2017 which was attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with other leaders of BIMSTEC member countries. Next summit was scheduled for January, 2020 but postponed to August, 2021 due to COVID, now again Sri Lanka, which is the chair of the grouping, has proposed holding the BIMSTEC summit in early December, 2021. Earlier, the BIMSTEC foreign minister’s meeting took place virtually on April 1^st, 2021, in which agenda for the leaders meeting was discussed. In 2019, BIMSTEC member countries head of governments and states were invited to India for PM Modi's oath-taking ceremony for the second term whereas top SAARC leaders were witnessed during the first term oath taking ceremony of PM Modi.

From last few years, there is a strong surge for regionalism. As SAARC has been given less or no importance by India because SAARC never provided India another hegemonic platform. Also, another important reason is that the interaction and regional cooperation of SAARC countries on Kashmir issue could also be a setback for India and it could possibly dim its perspective of Jammu and Kashmir.

India’s enemy construct against Pakistan has inevitably resulted in mistrust and suspicion which has not let SAARC to be an effective forum. The smaller South Asian states have also underlined and needed regional cooperation because of the fast changing international environment and formed BIMSTEC but it is just another tactic of India to isolate Pakistan and counter China. India fears that the alliance of neighbor countries with China or Pakistan is a threat to its strategic as well as economic interests. However, India needs to realize that projection of soft power can much easily win the trust of neighboring countries rather than adopting hegemon behavior.