The SAARC Yatra to be undertaken by foreign secretary S. Jaishankar from March 1 is an opportunity for India to improve relations, resurrect stalled projects and create new synergies with its neighbourhood. An initiative like this could hold the key to India shedding the ‘hegemon’ tag and pursuing mutually beneficial policies with its neighbours.
Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar will begin his South Asian yatra next month starting with Bhutan, then Bangladesh and Nepal, and followed by Pakistan and Afghanistan. He will visit Sri Lanka and the Maldives twice–the first time accompanying Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his trip to India’s neighbours to the south.