Islamabad — A new initiative titled “Pakistan and South Asia: Towards Progress, Partnership and Peace” has been launched in Washington, D.C., bringing together diplomats, policymakers and scholars to advance dialogue, integration and cooperation across the region. The Pakistan South Asia effort was announced after a series of meetings and roundtables held in the first week of October and marks a fresh attempt to build trust and practical collaboration among South Asian states.
Rizwan Saeed, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, hosted a luncheon where members of the visiting delegation formally briefed him on the establishment of a core working group under the initiative. The group is convened by development strategist Imran Shauket and includes former U.S. Ambassadors, former USAID Mission Directors, directors of South Asia programs at leading U.S. think tanks and senior members of the Pakistani diaspora with deep experience across the region.
Organizers say the Pakistan South Asia initiative will begin by focusing on Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, before widening its scope to other partners in the subcontinent. Speakers at the Washington meetings stressed that despite representing nearly a quarter of the world’s population, South Asia remains one of the least integrated global regions. The initiative aims to move beyond the limitations of SAARC by promoting sub-regional cooperation on trade, education, climate resilience and economic connectivity as tangible confidence-building measures.
The core working group plans to convene future conferences and policy dialogues that include experts and institutions from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and beyond. The initiative has been welcomed in academic and diplomatic circles as a timely effort to reimagine regional ties, promote mutual understanding and pursue shared development goals that contribute to stability and prosperity across South Asia.
