As far as Pakistan is concerned, I think I have made our own position very I would like to say that in our policy towards South-East Asia, we have consistently endavoured to explore the possibilities of mutually beneficial co-operation in the countries in this region. I think we can claim a measure of success in this effort. I would, for instance, refer you to the continental shelf boundry agreement concluded in the year 1974 with Indonesia which is an example of mutually beneficial co-operation in the waters separating the countries in the region. Even with other countries in South-East Asia we have been able to identify and, to some extent, develop co-operation in the areas of mutual interest and we propose to continue our efforts in this direction. Further afield in the South pacific, we have been able to evolve a similarity of interest with Australia and New Zealand - an example of this is the valuable change in the Australian attitude on the question of the Indian Ocean as a ‘Zone of peace’.
Our bilateral relations with almost all the countries in Asia have been developing satisfactorily. Of course, the question that was argued yesterday - and it is a very important question of finding certain forum through which we can develop an Asian identify is a very important point made by all the members. Some of them showed some ignorance when they said there was no forum where anything could be discussed. It is not so. There are certain institutions in the economic field which are working in the form of ESCAP, Asian Development Bank, etc. But I would like to add that we have been conscious of a certain lack of institutional arrangements for consultations among Asian countries which could provide an opportunity to ensure that their interests are adequately promoted in various international forums. While we are aware that a variety of political and other reasons somewhat inhibit the creation of a regional consultative organization for Asia, we are nevertheless exploring various avenues to foster a sense of Asian identity. Towards this end Government has been undertaking consultation with several friendly Asian Governments whose response has been generally encouraging. It is hoped that these exchanges can be widened and will eventually lead to the emergence of a greater sense of unity in Asia.
