Moving beyond why Saarc failed, let's ask what must be done next: Tariq Karim
Participants pose for a photo at the seminar titled "Rebuilding Trust, Renewing Regional Integration: Pathways for Revitalising Saarc" on 6 July 2026. Photo: Courtesy Shama Obaed Islam reaffirmed Bangladesh’s longstanding commitment to regional cooperation and highlighted the importance of revitalising Saarc Seeking efforts to create a cooperative future worthy of South Asia's peoples, former Ambassador Tariq A Karim today said if there is one domain where South Asia cannot afford paralysis, it is ecological security. "Rivers, monsoons, glaciers, deltas, forests, air quality, disease patterns, food systems, and climate risks do not obey political borders. Bangladesh, as a lower riparian deltaic country, understands this reality with particular urgency," he said, describing ecological security as the most practical starting point. Ambassador Karim, Advisor, Centre for Bay of Bengal Studies, Independent University, Bangladesh, and visiting Research Fellow, Instit...