ISLAM IN SOUTH ASIA: A BRIEF OVERVIEW ON HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF ISLAM IN INDIA

ABSTRACT Islam as a religion of Rahmatan Lil'alamin was brought by Prophe

(Microsoft Word - Developing Integrated Energy Policies in South Asia, Jan. \205)

Abstract The focus of energy policy in the South Asian countries after they achieved independence from the United Kingdom during the 1940s has been on increasing energy supplies to meet the growing demand for energy. Except for oil imports, most of the energy from other sources was supplied from resources within the individual countries ---biomass and hydropower in almost all of the countries, and coal in India. In spite of a tripling of the region's population, and a doubling of per capita income, the South Asian countries have supplied their energy requirements largely from domestic resources. The discovery of oil and natural gas fields in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh, contributed to a relatively high level of energy self-sufficiency for those countries. However, the great increase in the use of biomass and coal (in India) were major factors in rising air pollution, land degradation, and loss of ecosystems. The switch from "traditional" forms of transportation to motor vehicles that used oil products contributed not only to air pollution but to much higher dependency on imported oil. Further, it helped change the nature of South Asian cities by following the pattern of industrialized countries in the form of urban sprawl, clogged roads, and long commutes. As in many other parts of the world, policies in South Asia are usually designed on a sector-wide basis, e.g. there is a policy for energy, one for environment, another for transportation, and yet another for technology. Further, the relations 2 between the South Asian countries were usually determined by political issues, rather than by economic development concerns, and energy is an important factor in the latter. This paper suggests a more integrated approach to energy policy, both in terms of integration across sectors, and across the countries of South Asia, defined here to include the seven member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)