Indian political ideology is built on the philosophical postulates of Chankiya Kutalya; the concept of Akhand Bharat has been translated to maintain its regional hegemony and aspire to become a world power. In an intricate landscape of South Asian geopolitics, India’s strategic recalibration toward a regional cooperation framework has drawn considerable attention due to its unprincipled nature. India’s diplomatic relations with neighboring states reveal a discernible shift towards prioritizing certain regional platforms over others. This is evident in India’s role in promoting the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) over the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). India’s escalating hostility toward Pakistan has spurred efforts to undermine regional platforms involving Pakistan. India has sought alternative avenues for regional cooperation to pursue its regional hegemonic designs, leading to a renewed focus on BIMSTEC.
SAARC comprises eight member states including India and Pakistan. Some of the notable achievements of SAARC include establishing the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) to reduce trade barriers, promoting economic integration among members, and facilitating enhancements in trade volumes and investment flows through the South Asian Preferential Trade Arrangement (SAPTA). Cultural exchanges, climate change, public health, and addressing common challenges are other areas of success.
SAARC’s impetus has been retarded due to a skeptical approach by India. Resultantly, the desisting of the SAARC-Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA), withstanding, the indefinite cancellation of SAARC summit member states due to the alleged adverse security situation in Pakistan has been another hammering blow.
Owing to economic prowess and its ostensible strategic importance, India’s advantageous position is augmenting its hegemonic designs and geopolitical complexities. Instead of opting for a cooperative approach to fortify SAARC, India shifted its focus towards another regional platform – BIMSTEC.
The domino effect of BIMSTEC fits in well with India and is becoming a catalyst for the attainment of its strategic role to isolate Pakistan through India’s stance of making terrorism a top regional priority. India’s invitation to members of BIMSTEC to the BRICS outreach summit is another step in this regard. Despite these calculated moves, BIMSTEC has not been as effective as India imagined.
Established in 1997, BIMSTEC comprises seven South and Southeast Asian countries. The main achievement of the organization is the annual BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise, the first-ever military collaboration among member states. Despite its potential, BIMSTEC has faced significant challenges like prolonged delays in implementing the Free Trade Agreement (2004), weakening BIMSTEC’s effectiveness.
Unlike other regional organizations like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), ASEAN, and G20, BIMSTEC leaders have not convened regularly, reflecting a lackluster performance in prioritizing BIMSTEC summits. Moreover, territorial disputes between Bangladesh and Myanmar have overshadowed regional integration and cooperation. The resurfacing of the India-Nepal border issue and the release of a new political map have resulted in public resentment, entailing Nepal to boycott the BIMSTEC counter-terrorism exercise in 2018.
India’s intent to retain an active and lead role in BIMSTEC can surely entail consequences that can offset China’s increasing influence in South and Southeast Asia. For the same reason, India is also ambitious to include Afghanistan as part of BIMSTEC to curtail the Chinese growing influence in Afghanistan in general and Pakistan in particular.
Despite US reservations, India has welcomed Myanmar into the ring of BIMSTEC. India’s firm stance on Myanmar is the outcome of China’s growing influence due to the Rakhine Coast across the Bay of Bengal paving the way for the BRI. India, driven by its strategic interests, opted for dialogue over the isolation of Myanmar, like her policy of resisting calls to join the sanctions with regards to its approach for Ukraine vis a vis Russia.
The paradigm shift towards a forum like BIMSTEC signals a departure from conventional platforms like SAARC; thus reflecting India’s pursuit of regional dominance for isolating Pakistan and counterbalance China’s growing presence. This will have its long-term repercussions. Pakistan feeling the tremors will have a more pro-China lean. However, the prospects for an Afghanistan-encompassing BIMSTEC may be measured high on the scale. Ostensibly the overall spectrum of BIMSTEC may seem conducive to India but owing to many fissures arising from Indian designs will place the success of BIMSTEC in jeopardy.(Writer is pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree from the National Defense University, Islamabad)
