Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has said the spirit of SAARC is still alive and strong, referring to the presence and solidarity shown by representatives from South Asian countries at the funeral prayers of former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
Yunus stated he was deeply moved by the manner in which SAARC member countries paid their respects to the three-time prime minister of Bangladesh and the world’s second Muslim female head of government, read a press release issued by Chief Adviser’s Press Wing on Thursday.
High-level delegations from various South Asian countries attended Khaleda Zia’s funeral prayers in Dhaka. Among them were Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Nepal’s Foreign Minister Bala Nanda Sharma, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Employment, and Tourism Vijitha Herath, and the Maldives’ Minister of Higher Education and Labour Ali Haidar Ahmed.
Later, the Parliamentary Speaker of Pakistan and the ministers from Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives paid a courtesy call on the chief adviser at the State Guest House Jamuna.
The visiting dignitaries paid deep tribute to the late Khaleda Zia and recalled her lifelong struggle for democracy and her contributions to increasing unity and cooperation among South Asian countries.
They said they were moved by the record number of people present at the funeral prayers. This shows how much people genuinely loved her, they added.
In all the meetings, the chief adviser emphasised the need to revive the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
In the meeting with the Maldivian Minister, Ali Haidar Ahmed, the Chief Adviser said, “Yesterday at the funeral prayers, we saw the true spirit of SAARC. SAARC is still alive. The SAARC spirit is still alive.”
Speaking to the Sri Lankan foreign minister, the chief adviser said, “This day, SAARC was active. We shared our grief together.”
Yunus also recalled his efforts to arrange an informal gathering of SAARC leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
The chief adviser said, “I wanted to organise a reunion among SAARC leaders, even if just for five minutes.” The Chief Adviser also expressed hope that SAARC would be revived as a meaningful platform for nearly two billion people in South Asia.
The upcoming national election was also discussed specifically in the meetings. The chief adviser said Bangladesh is fully prepared to hold a free, fair, and peaceful election on 12 February.
He informed Pakistan’s Parliamentary Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq that he would return to his previous professional role after the election.
In the meetings, the foreign ministers of Sri Lanka and Nepal stated they were closely observing Bangladesh’s initiative to introduce postal voting for its large expatriate population.
Muhammad Yunus said, “After the interim government introduced this system for the first time in the country’s history, nearly seven lakh Bangladeshis living and working abroad have registered for postal ballots.”
“We will learn from your experience,” said Sri Lankan Minister Vijitha Herath.
