Security Perspective of South Asia and Connectivity

Security Perspective of South Asia

Security of a country and region is tightly related to a whole array of its sustainable development facets. Struggles, conflicts, threatening economies and civilizations and enforcement of different powers irritating the sovereignty of individual states has become a notable strategy of global politics. In this context, South Asia has become a notable crisis region in the world. It is characterized by an interlocking web of old and new and traditional and non-traditional security risks. There are unresolved territorial disputes, proliferation of nuclear technology, a broad range of ethnic, religious, and non-state actors that have links to individual, regional and global terrorist groups connected with organized crimes. Moreover, the unpredictable repercussions of climate change, which could turn one of the poorest regions in the world into a pit of worst. Further, unsecured information and cyber network, financial and environmental insecurity drags the entire region in to a ridge of social instability. Here, I have carefully examined the South Asian regional security perspectives and bonded lateral partnerships between regional countries intending to address such security challenges.

Introduction

 

Regionalism, has become a key element of the international system in the twenty-first century thus, the concept of regionalism still argues on the South Asian context. Regionalism has become a tool for some states to reach a sustainable position in their power but I believe, South Asia still has not taken the fully advantage of becoming a ‘Region’ and it does not use the power of regionalism to reach individual states’ needs as they want to be. South Asia is a prominent subsection of Asian region which extremely derives the stipulated area underlining Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka out of which majority of countries share common rivers, mountain systems, oceans, and ecological cycles and also with some nodes of their socio-cultural web.

Dispute between India and Pakistan are more prominent in modern day cold conflicts. While conflicts in Afghanistan and Pakistan have attracted global attention, parts of India, and Nepal have also experienced long-running conflicts where Sri Lanka is still struggling for a lasting peace . According to population, South Asia is the biggest region in the world and it is the second region after sub-Saharian Africa according to number of conflicts which resulted human misery, destruction of infrastructure and social cohesion, and death. Also, the level of development is comparatively low in this region and the regional collaboration is minimal.

Regional security is a key variable in understanding how a regional organization works because the integration process itself is shaped by their patterns of contestation and security cooperation. Also, security is a multi-dimensional concern with various political and social perspectives and prospective which ultimately combine human security with their needs and the sustainability. The regional connectivity provides a perfect solution for strengthening cooperation and sharing of regional resources and political peripherals.

Common Strengths of South Asian States 

 

With the exception of Bhutan and Nepal, nearly all South Asian countries were subjected to colonization or foreign invasions. Most of these countries became independent during the 1940s. Common religious and cultural traditions, linguistic affinities, values, and social norms further provide grounds for developing common understandings of many issues. In addition, non-traditional security threats, such as immense poverty, illiteracy, ethnic discord, and other oppressive social orders, not only confront, but at times, unite the region.

Also, South Asia has got a steadily increasing working age population compares to other global regions and this huge young and able working force can provide solutions to human resource needs and gaps in development sectors of the states.

South Asia was around an annual GDP growth rate of around 5.7 percent during 1980-2000, and has reached a considerably a higher rate today. Furthermore, private investment has boomed, supported by rising national saving rates in South Asia. The scope of productivity gains from improved education of population, knowledge, and also, the technology is an incredible factor for all South Asian countries. The continued opening up of the regions’ economies to international trade, investment, and finance notifies the improved prospects for acquisition of modern technology.

 

Common Weaknesses

Asymmetric relations between India and other South Asian countries has been one of the obstacles in developing and strengthening security cooperation in the region.

Both India and Pakistan joined the “elite” nuclear club, which has made the region more super-power attractive. There are concerns of possible nuclear accidents, nuclear terrorism, nuclear blackmail, mis-perception, and unauthorized nuclear use.

Poverty, high populations, dead topographic features like high altitude mountains and flooding lands has become more significant weaknesses of the region as well as the region is notably prone to unpredictable weather patterns and disasters. Extremism is gradually rises clashing the civilization of regional sates. 

Security Paradigm and Strategic Culture of South Asia

 

South Asia’s strategic culture is quite different from other major regions of the world because of its strange security issues and uncharacteristic security calculus. Besides, security interests of major powers of the world create a constant interface leaving irremovable traces on the regional security landscape.

South Asia is one of the most battle-ready zones in the world and home to inter-state and intra-state wars. Having remained in a state of conflict for years and years and this region has turned into a “Corridor of Instability” on the globe. However, the social, political and economic development of South Asia has been seriously stalled by internal, or intra-state conflicts. Nevertheless, the balance of power is foreseeable for the regional security of South Asia along with the international peace and security. Different power segmentation drag the equilibrium of regional power from one end to another and also it has attracted the global concentration creating a vacuum of global power supremacy.

Traditional and Non-Traditional Security Challenges in the Region

 

Other than the well-known Indo-Pakistan issue, there are no significant traditional security challenges in the region. However, South Asia is a prone hub to all most all non-traditional security challenges in the world today. Let examine the experiencing NTS in each of regional sates.

Afghanistan: Afghanistan has a rowdy history of uprisings against the government, guerilla warfare, and foreign occupation and the country now faces violent insurgencies by the Taliban and ISIS. Afghanistan has seen little improvement in terms of overall stability and human security but dramatic increase in the numbers of mostly young Afghans fleeing their country will make a considerable impact on the future of Afghanistan. Afghanistan's development and security are further overshadowed Poor economy, climate changes energy insecurity. 

Bangladesh: The single most important threat to Bangladesh is the political instability which has created problems in governing the state affairs. Corruption, crashed judicial system, huge trade imbalance, external aids dependent economy, increased population, high poverty, rise of social violence, gender violence, women and child trafficking and ethnic conflicts have push Bangladesh in to a social and political insecurity. Deforestation, soil erosion, global warming, water and air pollution are further lift the thresholds of NTS and also, Bangladesh is critically victimized by unpredictable weather and natural disasters. As a fact, sea level rising also potentially matters to the social security of the country. If the sea level rises by one meter, nearly one fifth of Bangladesh will go under water.

Bhutan: Bhutan is a small landlocked Himalayan country bordering China in the north and India in the south. The security capabilities of Bhutan are minimal, and close ties with India are vital to its security. Bhutan has mainly relied on non-military security alternatives such as national identity for cultural cohesion, and neutrality to renew its long-term security. Bhutan’s economy is strongly depending upon India and their major revenue generation is Indian led hydro power projects.

 

India: While India has seen impressive economic growth in recent years, the country still struggles with widespread poverty and hunger. While the high dense population has threatened the social security, almost 30 percent of India’s rural population living in poverty. Apart from that, Delhi has briefly gained notoriety as the world’s most polluted city owing to its coal-based power plants, massive construction industry, and an estimated ten million vehicles on its roads. Irregularly hiking of natural disasters, odd topographical features that victim of rapid climate changes has made the human security more undesirable and poor public health infrastructure has doubled the burden of NTS. 

18. Maldives: Maldives is an important Indian Ocean outpost and is highly dependent on the sea for its growth and prosperity. Its archipelago is made up of 1,190 islands. Its 644-kilometer coastline generates an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of nearly 959,100 square kilometers in the Arabian Sea, which is much larger than the state’s 300-square-kilometer land area. The Maldives population draws its livelihood primarily from the sea through tourism and fishing. So, Maldives facilitated heavy merchant traffic bound for Southeast Asia and Pacific Asia has autonomously become a threat for its marine environment with the proximity of waste dumping and ballast water contamination which can flip the entire Maldivian economy and social system. Adverse climate changes also stimulate challenges in Maldivian security with harnessing corrals and other marine creatures as well as their fresh water supply. They are mainly dependent upon the rain water to cater their fresh water needs. The other major issue is that the sea level rising and extension erosion have extensive impact on Maldives’ low height profile and enormous coastal belts.

Nepal: Nepal, another small landlocked country in the region, also continues to face major challenges in meeting minimum health standards and tackling health disparities. Nepal faces geographic challenges with combination of rough topography and steep slopes and also, it’s an active seismic zone. Further food and water security has been challenged with its terrain and also, Nepal is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. 

Pakistan: I believe that it’s not required to unwrap about Pakistan to this august forum. However, I would like to put forward some important facts about Pakistan to keep the flow of my paper. Talibanization promoted terrorism is major security concern in Pakistan. Besides the traditional setbacks to conventional security, Pakistan has been having a stronger reaction to issues such as the climate change, increasing population, urbanization and water security. Pakistan is also facing a serious threat and great challenges from large-scale natural as well as anthropocentric disasters, such as, seismic events, landslides, droughts, floods, fog, torrential rains, tropical cyclones, dust storms, fires, locusts, oil-spills, depletion of Glaciers, etc. 

Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka suffered with more than three decades fought war on terrorism and that’s a well-known fact to the world. Still, it’s struggling for establishing a lasting peace with elimination of total terror over the island but, the country still fighting against the ideologies and diasporas which stimulate sleeper cells of buried terrorism. The most important factor on Sri Lankan security and other national concerns is the strategic position of Sri Lanka in the South Asian region and its adherence with other regional activities. The huge trade flow connecting Persian Gulf and Atlantic region with Asia-Pacific choking from Strait of Hormuz, around Sri Lanka and through the Malacca has added a potential security on Sri Lankan economy. Moreover, majority of Sri Lanka’s economic and social perspectives are bound with its surrounding sea like other island nations around the world. This combination of strategic position and its dependency with maritime affairs can easily create a potential threat, especially on non-traditional security concern of the country. 

Correlation with Local and Global Security and the Share by IOR 

 

All above facts discussed under each state are nominal to each state’s traditional and non-traditional security concerns but they are not quietly independent from global and South Asian regional security phenomenon. They all are interconnected and laterally dependent on each other. What I want to emphasize here is that the South Asian regional security is not an individual component and that’s a collective effort of all individual states’ activities in the region as well as a derived vector of global security, remote and neighboring regional security aspects and local security concerns on individual member states of the South Asia. In reality, Simply, the security in South Asia is interconnected with an interplay of several factors operating at three different levels called domestic, regional or bilateral and global and there is, in fact, a symbiotic relationship between these factors and the regional security of South Asia. 

Domestic Security 

 

When it deeply looking in to the common domestic security profiles of states, South Asian countries are at the very bottom of the world league in social and human development indicators. Very few have access to clean drinking water, and fewer have a permanent roof over their heads. Education is available only to the most fortunate. Economic deprivation, illiteracy, and unemployment provide a fertile ground for intolerance and extremism, which in turn promotes conflict and violence within our societies. This inherent profile of South Asian regional countries has a tremendous impact on the regional security.

Individual capacities of regional sates and the nature of their cooperation directly push the centric force of regional security to different edges. As a brief, internal domestic turbulence of some states have weakened the regional security and strength of some states make the regional security stronger. The South Asian regional sates’ security and the security of regional state are always in a proportional equilibrium to each other. When the regional security is in a very potential level, poor countries and other smaller nations who don’t have much capability and a contribution will enjoy the return benefit of it securing their backyards. 

Global Security 

 

Again, the state of play in South Asia as described above, has an obvious bearing on the international environment, including security in adjacent regions. Also, Security in South Asian region has been very significant for the international community and the global security concerns with its position on global geo-political strategic phenomenon.

Nuclear states in South Asia add more force to the equilibrium of global power. Here, India and Pakistan, two nuclear powered stake holders of South Asia and the cold conflict between these two countries has stimulated the global powers and some nuclear-powered countries who are looking for a chance to extend their power in to the region and as a result, they have mobilized their nuclear power in to South Asia and it has increased the global security concern more over on it. But, in another way around, this entire process has considerably balanced the power within the region and that can be taken as a plus point. However, this system has turned the South Asia in to a pool of power play thus, has further complicate and exacerbate the security environment in South Asia. 

Share of South Asian Maritime Domain in Regional Security Perspective 

 

South Asia directly do businesses with Indian Ocean in its maritime affairs. Arabic sea in the west, Bay of Bengal at the east and Laccadive sea in the south are the three main sub-sections of Indian Ocean which lies along the coastal belt of South Asia. Further, the maritime domain of South Asia opens to Middle East through strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, to Atlantic through Mozambique Channel and with Eastern Asian sector and with Pacific through the Strait of Malacca. As a fact, the Indian ocean is the home for most of south Asian countries and except Afghanistan, Nepal and Bhutan, all other five countries are directly or partially open to the Indian ocean. The strategic importance of South Asian maritime domain lies in the fact that some of the busiest SLOCs pass through the regional waters and it also connects the two larger oceans while feeding the South Asian Region too. Despite the direct or indirect socio-economic advantage that the regional maritime sector provides to its coastal and land-lock countries, the region is mired in security challenges that threaten the sovereignty of the member states and also, affects not only the lives of South Asia but also, lives of one-third of the world’s population that resides in the Indian Ocean Region. Since I’m a seafarer, as well as a naval officer, I will more concern in to the maritime component of the South Asia pertaining to the topic we are discussing today. 

Connectivity 

 

As we all know, world’s offshore oil production comes from the Indian Ocean which is the responsible water of South Asia, while 65% of the world’s oil and 35% of its gas reserves are found in the littoral states of this region. Unlike the Pacific and Atlantic regions, almost three quarters of trade traversing through the Indian Ocean of which majority of them are lies in the AOR of South Asian states, primarily in the form of oil and gas, belongs to states external to the region. As a result, free and uninterrupted flow of oil and goods through the ocean’s sea lines of communication (SLOC) is deemed vital for the global and regional economy and so all major states have a stake in its stability. This emphasizes the important role playing by South Asian maritime domain in exercising connecting regions to stand with global arena and as simply, this is called Regional Connectivity.

The term “Regional connectivity” is thus multifaceted: the connectivity of one sector influences the connectivity of others. Regional connectivity, defined as “the level and effectiveness of regional networks to facilitate flows of goods, services, people, and knowledge” ought to integrate both physical and non-physical parameters to offer the most cost- and time-effective multi-modal systems. Regional connectivity involves developing a bundle of networks which connect urban and industrial hubs, and/or coastal and hinterland regions and also the security solutions with threats and challenges along the alternative cross-country routes. However, the regional connectivity can be categorized in to two sub-sections.


a. Intra-regional connectivity
b. Extra-regional connectivity

The two different sub-sections of regional connectivity have easily demarcated its outline as it is described by its nominal meaning. Intra-regional connectivity exercises among member states of a region and extra-regional connectivity exercises among the designated regions in the global phenomenon. In our context, South Asian maritime domain merges both these sub-sections of regional connectivity concept. However, both regionalism and connectivity has addressed the cooperation and sharing between states and regions while the same has create a multi-dimensional security challenges and threats in return. As I was intimated early, again I will focus in to maritime sector of South Asia.

Traditional and Non-Traditional Security Threats in South Asian Maritime Domain

 

During the previous sub-topics, I was clearly discussing the traditional threats and various NTS imposing on land mass of member countries of the South Asian region. The home front as well as the backyard of the region, the regional waters or the maritime domain too faces security threats from both traditional and non-traditional sources. The region is surrounded by and opens to number of developing and under-developed countries, apart from few developed states and also, connected with other regional and non-regional countries of the world. The presence of a large number of impoverished countries has made the region susceptible to security threats like smuggling of arms and drugs, human trafficking, illegal immigration, piracy and terrorism etc. that adversely affect a large number of people regionally and globally. Global warming and climate change have exacerbated the natural disasters like tsunamis and typhoons each year, affecting lives and infrastructure of already struggling economies in the region and that’s only a few of enormous threat counts from the maritime sector of the region.

In addition to the above mentioned non-traditional threats, there are growing traditional threats that sovereign states of the region face owing to the inter-state conflicts and presence of extra-regional states within the military paradigm in the regional waters and some of them were mentioned under early sub-topics. The unresolved tensions between India-Pakistan, India-China, South and North Korea have introduced nuclear weapons in the region over the past decades. Moreover, China’s recent quest to develop as a maritime power and modernization of its military forces alarmed the neighboring countries specially the countries South Asian with the extension of China’s ‘One Belt One Road’ concept.

Again, the mother ocean of South Asian maritime domain, IOR has attracted many of non-regional remote countries and nations with its strategic importance in global power balance. The world’s center of political gravity has moved with the economic center of gravity, eastwards to this part of the world and to the Asia-Pacific. Turbulence along the rim of the Indian Ocean has occurred not just along the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea, but also most recently in the South and East China Seas. This has led to heightened interest by extra-regional powers in to the South Asian ocean as well as in to the security of the South Asian region because, the power diplomacy over South Asian waters can project strategic and political advantage on any party who dominates it disseminating equal deterrence on other counter sates or belligerents.

Other than the heightened security consciousness and interest of the extra-regional powers, drug trafficking also has added an extra weight on regional maritime security concerns. There has been a huge proliferation of drug trafficking routes identified as starting from the Makran Coast and passing through the regional waters to other states in the region as well as towards the eastern African coastal states. Considering the geo-political setup of the Indian Ocean region, Pakistan is the major South Asian country of the drug-infested “Golden Crescent”, along with the Iran, while Myanmar and Thailand constitute the majority of the “Golden Triangle,” which pumps their illegal drug production worldwide through sea routes running along the South Asia. This has been led to increase the potentiality to form narco-terrorism in the region and that is a major security concern for littoral states like Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. 

Human smuggling and illegal immigration are another key security challenge in South Asian waters and also, it’s another Organized crime increasingly linked to regional global patterns of violence. It can be identified three main human trafficking flows through south Asian waters.

• a. From the southern Red Sea and Horn of Africa to the southern Arabian Peninsula.

• b. From the Asian subcontinent to the eastern Arabian Peninsula and Persian Gulf.

• c. From Indo-Sri Lanka sub-continent to Australia and western pacific and this the most significant human trafficking flow taking place in a mega scale in the region.

The number of non-state actors affecting security has grown substantially during past decades. It also appears that greater links are being forged between global crime syndicates, insurgents and terrorist groups. Because of poor border controls and insufficient maritime domain awareness, such groups can often spread in to the regional maritime sector since some of regional states are significantly infected with terrorism and radical extremism. Terror attack in Mumbai in 2008 was a seaborne attack and it’s one of example to justify my statement.

The varying levels of security threats and absence of any over-arching security regime supervising security aspects give impetus to the formation of intra-regional alliances and the nature of security framework needs to locate its role in the region. However, it raises a pertinent question: ‘Will the nature of the regional security regime be offensive or defensive’? Offensive security regimes are formed in a region or among a group of countries when the threat is common and known to all the parties. Formation of NATO is such an example. On the other hand, when the threat is not persistent and known, yet affects all the countries in the region, a defensive security regime comes to play. Countering threats like environmental disasters, piracy, drug smuggling and human trafficking in the South Asian region does not need weaponization of the region but solutions like the mutual exchange of information, technology and resources and cooperative mechanisms by the counterparts can be taken. 

Holistic Platform of Modern Regionalism in South Asia 

 

Regional Security and Connectivity Equilibrium 

 

 National needs and interest stimulus packages are providing the South Asian region with a unique opportunity to address a broad range of regional security and connectivity issues. Importantly, other neighboring countries are also demonstrating commitment to promoting importance of security and connectivity in our region that is going far beyond national and regional borders. However, diplomacy alone is not enough. Shared understanding among nations, and equitably negotiated agreements and standards will provide the mechanisms to encourage neighbors to work and cooperate with one another. This cooperation enables individual states to seek for opportunities to feed the vacuums created with disabilities in individual and common needs. Security, economic, technological, social, political and many other segments of national needs can be shared among the partners or the member states through some strong regional security and connectivity strategies. However, security and connectivity are interdependent. At times, connectivity and security raises at both ends collaboratively and at times, they breach one in to another pulling down both security and connectivity proportionally as well as non-proportionally. 

Strategies for Regional Connectivity

 

As it was again and again mentioned during my speech, enhancement of regional connectivity across the South Asian region requires generating political will and cooperation, to explore what is achievable and optimal, to develop consensus on more conducive approaches and modalities of engagement, and to put in place a game plan for how regional security and connectivity will be achieved.

By developing regional networks in a coordinated and integrated manner, the benefits from improved regional connectivity can be spread more evenly across countries, particularly the least developed, landlocked and small island developing countries. Given the unique three-dimensional contexts in which they are located, these countries need to draw on their current endowments and focus on transforming the strategy and pace of connectivity to fully exploit the region’s potential in future. Not only does domestic connectivity need to be coordinated with regional networks. However, integrated and sustainable regional connectivity is a key approach for a sustainable regional security. 

Integrated and Sustainable Regional Connectivity

Security Connectivity

 

Security connectivity of South Asian states usually extend even beyond their regional limits with the strategic security concern of South Asian waters and IOR on global security and balance of global powers. Many regions and remote states and regional member states are cooperatively involving on strengthening security of South Asian region through cooperated training, missions, sharing of technology and resources, aiding military and non-military security essentials. Nevertheless, political and diplomatic partnerships where sometimes indirectly connected socio-cultural relationships connects the traditions, social ethics and cultures adding more ingredients to regional security. Spreading ideologies, thoughts and schools among cultures can be taken as example to them.

Trade and Transport Connectivity

Also, there is need for thinking through how to benefit from an effective and efficient trade and transport connectivity between states in view of enhancing security aspects. Soft trade barriers ensure the smooth flow of goods and services among member states and that particular ensures the economic and social security in various manners. 

ICT Connectivity

 

A cohesive ‘meshed’ regional network of terrestrial optical fiber would provide cost-effective broadband access on both an intra-regional and intercontinental basis to link South Asia with other part of the globe. A firm ICT infrastructure will provide quiet stable solutions to keep the social, economical and security connectivity among the nations. 

Energy Connectivity 

 

Sometimes, there is a need for countries to consider new forms of energy cooperation, which could reduce the gap in supply and demand by transferring power from energy-rich or lower-cost power countries to energy-poor or high-cost power countries.

People to People Connectivity

 

Increased mobility across borders, supported by transport and energy infrastructure, as well as by greater ICT connectivity, opens up vast new opportunities for international labor migration. The mobility of labor forces and service providers are a good sign for countries to promote and full fill their socio-economic needs meeting human security essentials of the states. 

Financial Connectivity 

 

To exploit the full potential of financial cooperation financing regional connectivity and security development, the region needs a comprehensive architecture intermediating between emerging investment opportunities especially in regional public goods on the one hand and rising foreign exchange reserves on the other. Good reserves and investments ensures the security of socio-economic and various other national aspects of countries. 

Next Level Potentialities 

 

During above section, I was explaining the present profile and challenges of our regional security concerns and the impact of regional connectivity over it. So, what are the steps we all can take to seek for solutions to these prevailing issues? 

Conventional Arms Control in South Asia

 

Conventional arms control is essential to preserving the stability of nuclear deterrence in South Asia and reducing wasteful defense expenditures. A mutual agreements on ratio of forces between regional nuclear states, increasing of mutual confidence between intra-regional powers, and elimination of the threat of surprise or preemptive strikes can promote regional stability and will allow South Asia to explore a new security framework for South Asia. 

Peaceful Resolution of Outstanding Disputes

 

The next point is the peaceful resolution of outstanding disputes among South Asian countries. Many disputes have contributed tremendously to the violation of regional security and connectivity in South Asia and negotiation or the perfect resolution of such disputes will provide a good cooperation for states in regional activities. 

Economic Progress as a Means to Achieve Peace

 

The realization of durable peace will not be possible without simultaneous and sustained economic progress. The persistence of economic and social deprivation serves only to intensify the forces of chauvinism, religious extremism, and ethnic particularity in South Asia. It is important that capable regional states to create an environment that facilitates mutually beneficial economic and trade relations. Only through shared economic and social development will we be able to address the domestic sources of tension and instability in regional countries. 

Empowerment of Small Powers in the Region

 

The other important point is that the impact of powerful regional states on regional power balance becomes paramount often exacerbating already existing disparities with smaller powers within South Asia. It’s a multi beneficial step can be taken to analyzes the security concerns of smaller powers in South Asia and their possible long-term impact on relations with other nations in the region and beyond. It also suggests means for cohesiveness and confidence building in order to achieve combined goals in perspective of regional security.

Regional Powers as Partners and Not as Threats:

 

In order to enhance cohesiveness and multilevel participation, trust deficits and resultant apprehension of neighbors about the ultimate objectives of regional powers must be addressed and mitigated. Its position as the region’s most powerful players indicates the need for them to earn the acceptance of other countries as facilitators and driver of their development. If this can be achieved between bigger powers, it will establish trust among smaller powers.

Trust-Building and Multilateral Efforts: 

 

Establishing trust-building measures to improve the interaction between countries at the diplomatic and executive government levels, in commerce, trade, culture and sports as well as among citizens is imperative. For example, visa-free travel between India and Nepal and India and Bhutan facilitates free movement. It would further remove ambiguity and create more openness and uniformity particularly in cross-border movement of people, goods, and services facilitating national and regional security concern directly and indirectly.

Disaster Management and Support: 

 

Since the South Asia is prone to multiple natural disasters, a cooperated disaster management system will provide more benefits effectively to regional states. A cooperate system on regional disaster management system will enhance the responding capacity and re-building capability of member states.

Curbing Illegal Activities: 

 

The cooperation on law enforcement is of primary importance, particularly in the face of violent activities related to ethnic conflicts, terrorism, human and drug trafficking, illegal immigrants and other illegal activities that affect peace within South Asia. Every individual state has a responsibility put maximum force on keeping their garden clear which ultimately ensures a high degree of regional security. 

Best Practices From Multilateral Platforms: 

 

Finally, powerful states should share with smaller powers the expertise and experiences it has gained from its participation in international organizations and groupings, to which smaller nations might not be a party. This applies to such areas as maritime security, climate change, energy, food and water security, as well as all modes of non-traditional security challenges. Shared efforts are necessary in developing a sustainable and strong security and cooperation with in the region.