"Let a South Asian fraternity benefit from the fruits of a new era of peace in which our people could become the masters of their destiny while contributing tremendously to the progress of whole humanity regardless of geography, ethnicity, nationhood, gender, creed and colour," demanded the delegates of the "South Asian Parliament: Towards South Asian Unity" forum.

Recognising poverty as the most serious issue affecting more than one third of the region's population, the MPs demanded an early solution to all conflicts and a considerable moratorium by the lending agencies and countries for the repayments of the debts.

"South Asia is under high environmental stress brought about by both natural and human made causes. There is a great need for regional level co-operation in disaster preparedness and management," they also said.

India's foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters after the concluding session that a SAARC Food Bank would be developed as a model of regional co-operation to collectively meet food shortages in case of emergencies.

Regional instability

Concerned by the instability in Afghanistan and the conflict in Sri Lanka, the legislators called upon all the states of the region to work for peace.

Condemning widespread attacks against innocent people in their declaration, they also urged both the people and the governments of the region to join hands against terrorism and violence.

The SAARC countries should offer no shelter, no arms, no training to terrorists. A joint policy of all SAARC countries was needed to fight terrorism and narcotic exports. A SAARC fact-finding mission should to be sent to Afghanistan, they agreed.

Human rights

All countries in South Asia should constitutionally guarantee the equality of women as severe biases against women and other prevail all over the region, they said. Minority groups in general needed to be protected more.

"A proposed South Asia Human Rights Code may be adopted by South Asia’s parliaments with amendments for improvements. In the implementation of such a Code, the experience of the European Union should be studied as useful guide."

Harmonisation of trade

The delegates also reached a broad consensus to pursue effective implementation of the agreement on South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA), transnational communication networks and physical infrastructure and monetary co-operation.

They also discussed the feasibility of replicating the micro-credit mechanisms developed by the Grameen Bank which have been implemented with success in Bangladesh.

It was decided that a South Asian Monetary Union underwritten by macro-economic management and harmonisation of trade, fiscal and monetary policies should be created. The free movement of capital across the region could boost investment and create depth in the market in the region to raise huge resources for mega-projects.

More freedom

"Visas granted by any SAARC country should be made valid for all the other SAARC countries, as is prevalent in the Schengen region. Attempts should also be made to grant visas through separate South Asian counters on arrival at all airports and border crossing points," the delegates suggested.

"India wants to speed up the peace process with Pakistan," Mukherjee said and demanded that visas for students, journalists and professionals be liberalised.

To overcome information deficit in the region, the delegates also said, it is essential that all restrictions on access to and free and uninterrupted flow of information are removed.

"The media, on their part, should rise above national divides, avoid demonisation and give special attention to the coverage of the countries of South Asia."

Composite dialogue

The delegates said that while India and Pakistan's composite dialogue was gaining momentum, similar forums were needed elsewhere, for example between India and Bangladesh.

"Pakistan and India are holding discussions on various outstanding issues within the framework of composite dialogue process," Pranab Mukherjee told reporters after addressing the concluding session.

Mukherjee said that both Pakistan and India were undertaking significant confidence-building measures (CBMs), including the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service and strengthening air links.

The conference also adopted a resolution on India's First War of Independence in 1857, noting with regret that in the official records of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan the martyrs of the 1857 war were still described as traitors. SAFMA will ask the respective governments to correct the fallacy of history and rewrite 1857 from the South Asian perspective.