Gearing up for a New South Asia at India Today Global Round Table, Nepal

India Today Editor-in-Chief and Chairman Aroon Purie delivers the opening address at the India Today Global Round Table Conference in Kathmandu, Nepal on Tuesday, 25 November 2014. Highlighting India's role in the SAARC Summit, he said that South Asia is our home and we need to be good neighbours.

BJP spokesman Nalin Kohli (second from right), Congress leader Manish Tewari, (right) and former Pakistan foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar (second from left) debated the rocky India-Pakistan relationship at the India Today Global Round Table on the eve of the SAARC Summit in Kathmandu on Tuesday. The session titled 'Can India and Pakistan be friends?' was moderated by TVTN managing editor Rahul Kanwal.

Senior Congress leader and former Information and Broadcasting minister Manish Tewari said that India-Pak relationship is hostage to domestic situations and there is a need to build a consensus and decide what the red lines are that can lead to snapping of dialogues.

Two MPs from India, a Nepal minister, Bangladesh's foreign secretary, a Sri Lankan envoy and Pakistan's former military spokesman discussed the possibility of uniting SAARC members in combating terrorism at the India Today Global Round Table ahead of the SAARC Summit in Kathmandu on Tuesday. The session was moderated by Headlines Today Strategic Affairs Editor Gaurav Sawant.

Sri Lanka's Consul General in New South Wales and Queensland Bandula Jayasekara, right,  said his country was "the best example" of uniting South Asia against terrorism.

"We are a success story. We went through very difficult times," he said referring to Sri Lankan Army defeating the LTTE.

Nepal's Information and Communication Minister Minindra Rijal, left, said South Asia has to cooperate to tackle terror.

"We have to address the root causes of terrorism and find out how radicalisation is happening. What is the role of media; what is role of civil society? This cannot come down to governments. Unless South Asia puts its head together to tackle this problem, this is going to sweep the entire region," he said.

Afghanistan's new President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, speaking at the India Today Global Round Table in Kathmandu on Tuesday, underlined the importance of regional economic integration and said the TAPI gas project was one such example that can bring far-reaching impact on the region's economy.

"South Asia is on hand blessed with many things while on the other it is burdened with many issues. We have to overcome our problems soon to realise our common goals," Ghani said in his keynote address.

Regional integration can only happen through real economic and political integration and trade and commerce must take the lead, said panel members at the India Today Global Round Table themed "South Asia Free Trade - Is the EU Model Feasible in South Asia." The session was attended by Binod Chaudhary, Chairman of CG Chaudhary Group in Nepal, Farooq Sobhan - President of Bangladesh Enterprise Institute, Zubair Ahmad Malik - Managing Partner Guys and Dolls, Dasho Ugyen Tscheup Dorji - Chairman Singye Group of Companies and Vikramjit Singh Sahney - Corporate President SUN Group.

MP Meenakshi Lekhi, former Pakistan foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Nepalese social activist Anuradha Koirala and Nepalese actor Nisha Adhikari discussed stereotypes and gender bias women face in South Asia at the India Today Global Round Table in Kathmandu ahead of the SAARC Summit on Tuesday. The session, titled 'Overcoming Stereotypes & Gender Barriers - Women in South Asia', was moderated by India Today senior writer Jyoti Malhotra.

Guests at the India Today Global Round Table in Kathmandu, Nepal.