PM
Modi had promised in 2014 that Indian will launch a satellite for SAARC Nations
(South Asian Association for Regional Co-Operation). Now Indian Space Agency
ISRO will launch South Asia satellite using GSLV on May 5th 2017. This satellite
is a geosynchronous communication & meteorology satellite and the data will
be shared with all SAARC countries. The total cost of this satellite will be
450 cr INR. The satellite weighs 2,230-kg and it took nearly three years for
ISRO to fabricate the satellite. This SAS (South Asian Satellite) is a
communication satellite and SAARC countries can use it for various
telecommunication and broadcast purposes. SAS can be used for many other
purposes like telemedicine, tele-education, disaster management help and
support, natural resource mapping direct to home (D2H) etc. This satellite has
12 Ku-band transponders and each country will be provided access to at least
one transponder. The life span of SAS will be 12 years.
India
is only country in this reason which has capabilities to manufacture a
satellite and launch it using its own launching vehicle. Apart from India, Pakistan
has some degree of space program although it is a modest one. As expected,
Pakistan will not be part of this satellite mission. Initially there were
reports that Pakistan has agreed to be part of this program but finally
Pakistan decided to opt out of this program. Pakistan wanted to support in this
program technically & financially and also it wanted to make satellite at
SAARC level. India rejected this ideas as it was a gift from India and
participation of all countries would have delayed the launch considerably. Small
countries like Nepal, Bhutan or Maldives may not have been able to pay the cost
of the program. So, India decided to take up all the cost burden. Pakistan had
many security concerns like satellite could allow India to have access and
secure key data on Pakistan's sensitive information database infrastructure.
Pakistan had in past not allowed signing of SAARC Motor Vehicles Act and SAARC
Railways agreement. So India decided to go ahead with SAP program without
Pakistan’s involvement.
I
think it is right time for India to understand that Pakistan would never let
SAARC succeed. SAARC could have been South Asia’s answer to ASEAN and it could
have benefited all the countries in this region e.g. – India, Nepal &
Bhutan have surplus electricity and Pakistan, Afghanistan are deficient in
electricity production. We must admit that SAARC has failed to live up to its expectations.
It has very dismal record in more than 3 decades of its existence. India and
other countries have been forced to look beyond SAARC and they are invested
high hopes on Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and
Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). The members of BIMSTEC are Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan
& Thailand. As India is developing very fast and Pakistan is still sponsoring
terrorism in India, India has now option to ignore Pakistan for first time in
history. We are no more dependent on good relation with Pakistan to grow.
Despite high Indo-Pak tension & ongoing Kashmir rivalry, India has become 3rd
largest economy (on PPP basis). Today Pakistan has no good friends in our neighborhood
except China.
Its
duty of India to help its neighbors grow & develop. India is helping all
South Indian nations in various aspect and this satellite diplomacy will show India’s
sincerity to help its neighbors. And India needs to look beyond Pakistan in neighborhood.
India has a very good relationship with Afghanistan as it has helped in development
of this land locked country. India may be a villain in mind of some Nepal’s
politicians but Nepal can’t exist without India. Remember it was Indian help
which reached Nepal after earthquake and Sri Lanka after Tsunami. India and
Bangladesh or India and Sri Lanka partnership can benefit millions of people.
These countries look for Indian help & leadership and it is our duty to
help them. Satellite diplomacy is a
right step but we still need to win heart & mind of our fellow neighbors.
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