South Asian: “SAARC spirit is alive”: Muhammad Yunus urges the organization to be revitalized

South Asian: As a number of luminaries gathered in Dhaka to pay their respects to the late former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, Muhammad Yunus, the country’s Chief Advisor of the Interim Government, called Thursday for the revitalization of the South-Asian regional organization SAARC.

Citing the resounding attendance and support of South Asian countries at the burial of former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, Yunus said on Thursday that “the SAARC spirit is alive and well.”The respect shown by SAARC member nations for the three-time prime minister of Bangladesh and the second female Muslim head of state in the world greatly touched Yunus, according to the article.

A geopolitical union of South Asian nations, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is a regional intergovernmental organization. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka are among its members.

High-level delegations from all throughout South Asia attended the burial in Dhaka, according to the post. These included S. Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs; Bala Nanda Sharma, the foreign minister of Nepal; Vijitha Herath, the minister of employment and tourism in Sri Lanka; Ali Haider Ahmed, the minister of higher education and labor in the Maldives; and Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the speaker of the Pakistan National Assembly.Later, the Chief Adviser received courtesy visits at the State Guest House Jamuna from the speaker of the Pakistani parliament as well as ministers from Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. The statement went on to say that the visiting dignitaries paid heartfelt homage to the late Begum Khaleda Zia, remembering her lifetime fight for democracy and her endeavors to foster harmony and collaboration among South Asian countries.

Additionally, it stated: “Professor Yunus emphasized the need of reviving the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) on many occasions throughout the discussions. “At yesterday’s funeral, we saw a genuine SAARC spirit. SAARC is still in existence. During his meeting with Maldivian Minister Ali Haider Ahmed, he said, “The SAARC spirit is still alive.”Yesterday, the SAARC was active. He said to Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, “We shared our sorrow and grief together.”

Yunus also recounted his effort to get SAARC leaders together informally on the fringes of the UN General Assembly in New York.He expressed optimism that SAARC will be revitalized as a significant platform for around two billion people in South Asia, saying, “I wanted to hold a get-together among SAARC leaders, even if only for five minutes.”

According to the post, Yunus said that Bangladesh is ready to host free, fair, and peaceful elections on February 12 and that the country’s impending national elections were a major topic of debate.

He assured Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the speaker of the Pakistani parliament, that after the elections, he would resume his prior professional position.

The foreign ministers of Nepal and Sri Lanka said at the discussions that they were carefully monitoring Bangladesh’s implementation of postal voting for its sizable expat community.According to Yunus, around 700,000 Bangladeshis who reside and work overseas have registered to vote by mail since the temporary administration implemented the mechanism for the first time in the nation’s history. “The message ended with Sri Lankan Minister Vijitha Herath saying, “We will learn from your experiences.”

Former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia’s Namaz-e-Janaza was conducted in Bangladesh on Wednesday at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban’s South Plaza. Thousands of people gathered to pay their last respects to the seasoned leader.

The BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan presided over the ceremonies, while the khatib of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque conducted the burial prayer.

It was revealed that Khaleda Zia was buried next to her husband, former president Ziaur Rahman, in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital after the Namaz-e-Janaza. According to The Daily Star, many South Asian countries dispatched high-ranking officials to Dhaka to attend the state burial, which attracted widespread regional interest.