SAARC countries are a paper tiger :Professor Dr Agnieszka Kuszewska

Lahore: Punjab University Pakistan Study Centre (PSC) organized a seminar on “Pakistan-Indian Relations: The European Perspective”.

University of Social Sciences & Humanities, Warsaw, Poland Professor Dr Agnieszka Kuszewska was the keynote speaker, Director PSC Prof Dr Massarrat Abid, Dr Ahmad Ejaz and a large number of PhD and M. Phil scholars were present on the occasion.

In her speech, Dr Agnieszka Kuszewska highlighted the significant aspects of Pakistan-India relations from the European perspective and coined the idea of reconciliation through cultural exchange and people to people contact between the two countries for the lasting peace in the region of South Asia. Sketching the comparison of SAARC and European Union, she said that SAARC was a paper tiger as no real cooperation exists between the member countries. Almost all the member countries of European Union have high human development index as compared to SAARC countries which are mired by poverty.

She also drew similarities between Indo-Pak nuclear rivalry and the US-Soviet cold war. She also brought to light the differences the Eastern and Western Europe saying that western block’s concerns are economic in nature whereas Eastern Europe’s matter revolves around security issues.

She stressed upon the need of building CBMs to promote peace and pacify the hawkish elements on both sides of the border. A lively question-answer session was held at the end of the talk.

A MoU signing ceremony between University of the Punjab and University of Humanities and Social Sciences, Warsaw, Poland also took place after the seminar.