IT is indeed hearting to learn that the meeting between the Pakistan and Indian foreign ministers has successfully brought the relations between the two countries back on track.

A number of areas of cooperation were explored in this meeting: terrorism, trade, commerce, economics and humanitarian issues to name a few.

More importantly, both the sides have agreed to persistently continue high-level meetings in the future.These are certainly remarkable achievements not only for the two close neighbouring states but the region as a whole.

The dismal failure of Saarc promoting regional integration and forging regional cooperation is a result of hostility between India and Pakistan, two heavyweights of South Asia.

With high population and limited resources, South Asia is embroiled in territorial disputes, abject poverty, massive illiteracy, chaotic political instability, terrorism and acute energy crisis.

Home of 23 per cent of the total world population, South Asia’s share in total world trade is not more than seven per cent.

Therefore, the region is least developed with the world’s 400 million poor.

Rapprochement between India and Pakistan is the only recipe for the peaceful progress of this war-torn region.

All of South Asian states wish to enhance inter-state relations and grant transit rights to each other. However, owing to the India-Pakistan conflict these wishes are still unfulfilled. Given that the recent meeting between the two foreign ministers is certainly a breakthrough.

India’s unprecedented willingness to continue the composite dialogue process has given a ray of hope for a better future of this region. All of the states of this region have welcomed the meeting. It is because they believe that conditions in this region can only improve with rapprochement between India and Pakistan.

For promotion of regional integration and development, normalisation of Pakistan-India relations is prerequisite. Hence, it is indispensable that both the countries technically and judiciously follow the course charted in the meeting.

SAHIB DINO JATOILarkana