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South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

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South Asian Association
for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
  • Bengali:দক্ষিণ এশীয় আঞ্চলিক সহযোগিতা সংস্থা
    Dari:
    اتحادیه همکاری‌های منطقه‌ای جنوب آسی
    Dzongkha:༄ ལྷོ ཨེསིཨ་ རེ་གིཨོནལ་ ཅོཨོཔེརཏིཨོན་ ཀོ་མི་ཏི།
    Hindi:दक्षिण एशियाई क्षेत्रीय सहयोग संगठन
    Maldivian:
    ދެކުނު އޭޝިޔާގެ ސަރަޙައްދީ އެއްބާރުލުމުގެ ޖަމިއްޔާ
    Nepali:दक्षिण एशियाली क्षेत्रीय सहयोग सङ्गठन
    Pashto:
    د سویلي اسیا لپاره د سیمه ایزی همکارۍ ټولنه
    Sinhalese:දකුණු ආසියාතික කලාපීය සහයෝගිතා සංවිධානය
    Tamil:தெற்காசிய நாடுகளின் பிராந்தியக் கூட்டமைப்பு
    Urdu:
    جنوبی ایشیائی علاقائی تعاون کی تنظیم
Logo
  Member states
  Observer states
HeadquartersKathmandu
Official languagesEnglish
Demonym(s)South Asian
Member states
Leaders
Pakistan Amjad B. Hussain[1]
Establishment8 December 1985
Area
• Total
5,099,611 km2 (1,968,971 sq mi) (7th)
• Water (%)
6.8
Population
• 2015 estimate
1,713,870,000[2] (1st)
• Density
336.1/km2 (870.5/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)2017 estimate
• Total
US$11.64 trillion[3] (3rd)
GDP (nominal)2017 estimate
• Total
US$ 3.31 trillion[3] (5th)
Currency
8 currencies
Time zoneUTC+4:30 to +6 (Afghanistan Time(UTC+4:30), Pakistan Standard Time (PST), Maldives Time(both UTC+5:00), Indian Standard Time (IST), Sri Lanka Standard Time (SLST)(bothUTC+5:30), Nepal Standard Time (NST)(UTC+5:45), Bangladesh Standard Time (BST), Bhutan Time (bothUTC+6:00))
Calling code
8 codes
Internet TLD.asia[a]
Website
www.saarc-sec.org

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of nations in South Asia. Its member states include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. SAARC comprises 3% of the world's area, 21% of the world's population and 3.8% (US$2.9 trillion)[3] of the global economy, as of 2015.

SAARC was founded in Dhaka on 8 December 1985.[4] Its secretariat is based in Kathmandu, Nepal. The organization promotes development of economic and regional integration.[5] It launched the South Asian Free Trade Area in 2006.[6] SAARC maintains permanent diplomatic relations at the United Nations as an observer and has developed links with multilateral entities, including the European Union.

Historical background

MaldivesBangladeshBhutanNepalSri LankaIndiaMyanmarThailandCambodiaLaosVietnamBruneiIndonesiaMalaysiaPhilippinesSingaporeAfghanistanPakistanTurkmenistanIranAzerbaijanKazakhstanUzbekistanKyrgyzstanTajikistanChinaRussiaTurkeyJapanMongoliaSouth KoreaBahrainKuwaitOmanQatarSaudi ArabiaUnited Arab EmiratesSouth Asian Association for Regional CooperationBay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic CooperationMekong–Ganga CooperationAssociation of Southeast Asian NationsShanghai Cooperation OrganisationOrganization of Turkic StatesEconomic Cooperation OrganizationGulf Cooperation CouncilAsia Cooperation Dialogue
A clickable Euler diagram showing the relationships between various Asian regional organisations v • d • e

The idea of co-operation in South Asia was discussed in at least three conferences: the Asian Relations Conference held in New Delhi on April 1947; the Baguio Conference in the Philippines on May 1950; and the Colombo Powers Conference held in Sri Lanka in April 1954.[7]

In the ending years of the 1970s, the seven inner South Asian nations that included Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka agreed upon the creation of a trade bloc and to provide a platform for the people of South Asia to work together in a spirit of friendship, trust, and understanding. President Ziaur Rahman later addressed official letters to the leaders of the countries of the South Asia, presenting his vision for the future of the region and the compelling arguments for region.[8] During his visit to India in December 1977, Rahman discussed the issue of regional cooperation with the Indian Prime Minister, Morarji Desai. In the inaugural speech to the Colombo Plan Consultative Committee which met in Kathmandu also in 1977, King Birendra of Nepal gave a call for close regional cooperation among South Asian countries in sharing river waters.[9] After the USSR's intervention in Afghanistan, the efforts to establish the union was accelerated in 1979 and the resulting rapid deterioration of South Asian security situation.[9] Responding to Rahman and Birendra's convention, the officials of the foreign ministries of the seven countries met for the first time in Colombo in April 1981.[9] The Bangladeshi proposal was promptly endorsed by Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives but India and Pakistan were sceptical initially.[9] The Indian concern was the proposal’s reference to the security matters in South Asia and feared that Rahman's proposal for a regional organisation might provide an opportunity for new smaller neighbours to renationalise all bilateral issues and to join with each other to form an opposition against India. Pakistan assumed that it might be an Indian strategy to organise the other South Asian countries against Pakistan and ensure a regional market for Indian products, thereby consolidating and further strengthening India’s economic dominance in the region.[9]

However, after a series of diplomatic consultations headed by Bangladesh between South Asian U.N. representatives at the UN headquarters in New York, from September 1979 to 1980, it was agreed that Bangladesh would prepare the draft of a working paper for discussion among the foreign secretaries of South Asian countries.[9] The foreign secretaries of the inner seven countries again delegated a Committee of the Whole in Colombo on September 1981, which identified five broad areas for regional cooperation. New areas of co-operation were added in the following years.[10]

In 1983, the international conference held in Dhaka by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the foreign ministers of the inner seven countries adopted the Declaration on South Asian Association Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and formally launched the Integrated Programme of Action (IPA) initially in five agreed areas of cooperation namely, Agriculture; Rural Development; Telecommunications; Meteorology; and Health and Population Activities.[11]

Officially, the union was established in Dhaka with Kathmandu being union's secretariat-general.[12] The first SAARC summit was held in Dhaka on 7–8 December 1985 and hosted by the President of Bangladesh Hussain Ershad.[13] The declaration signed by King of Bhutan Jigme Singye Wangchuk, President of Pakistan Zia-ul-Haq, Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi, King of Nepal Birendra Shah, President of Sri Lanka JR Jayewardene, and President of Maldives Maumoon Gayoom.[13]

Members and observers

Economic data is sourced from the International Monetary Fund, current as of April 2015, and is given in US dollars.[14]

Members

Country Population[15][16] (2021) GDP
(Nominal) 		GDP
(PPP) 		GDP per Capita
(PPP) 		GDP Growth Rate
(2014) 		Exports
(2014) 		Foreign Direct Investment
(2013) 		Foreign Exchange Reserves(million) Defense Budget(% of GDP)
(2014)[17] 		Literacy Rate(Given Age & above) Life Expectancy Population below Poverty Line Primary School Enrollment [18] Secondary School enrollment [19] Population undernourished(%)
(2015)[20] 		Human

Development

Index

Democracy

Index

Global

Terrorism

Index

G20 BRICS BIMSTEC IORA APTA BBIN SASEC AIIB ACU ACD ADB World Bank Nuclear Weapons
 Afghanistan 40,099,462 $21.3 bn $63.5 bn $1,976 3.2% $0.3 bn N/A $6,442 N/A 28.1%(Age 15) 60 15.8% N/A 54% 26.8% 0.465

(171)

2.77

(147)

9.233

(2)

✖ ✖ ✖ ✖ ✖ ✖ ✖ ✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✖
 Bangladesh 169,356,251 $285.815 bn $751.949 bn $4,560 7.65% $37 bn $2.65 bn $32,000 $3.2 bn(1.2%) 57.7%(Age 15) 70 16% 92% 54% 12.4% 0.570

(142)

5.73

(86)

0

(124)

✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✖
 Bhutan 777,486 $2.2 bn $6.3 bn $8,158 6.4% $0.7 bn $63 mln N/A N/A 52.8%(age 15) 68 23.7% 91% 78% N/A 0.605

(132)

4.93

(101)

0.305

(107)

✖ ✖ ✔ ✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✖
 India 1,407,563,842 $2,439.0 bn $9,446.8 bn $7,174 7.3% $464.0 bn $31.0 bn $422,532.5 $45 bn(1.9%) 74.4%(age 15) 67 21.9% 94% 69% 15.2% 0.609

(130)

7.74

(35)

4.222

(39)

✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
 Maldives 521,457 $3.0 bn $5.2 bn $14,980 4.5% $0.28 bn N/A $356 N/A 99%(age 15) 77 16% N/A N/A 5.2% 0.706

(104)

__ __ ✖ ✖ ✖ ✖ ✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✖
   Nepal 30,034,989 $21.6 bn $70.7 bn $2,488 5.5% $1.0 bn $10 mln $5,439 N/A 66%(age 15) 68 25.2% 98% 67% 7.8% 0.548

(145)

4.77

(105)

4.791

(32)

✖ ✖ ✔ ✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✖
 Pakistan 231,402,117 $250 bn $928.0bn $4,886 4.2% $25.1 bn $0.709 bn(2014) $16,305 $7.4 bn(3.5%) 55%(age 15) 66 22.6% 72% 34% 22% 0.538

(147)

4.40

(112)

10

(1)

✖ ✖ ✖ ✖ ✖ ✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
 Sri Lanka 21,773,441 $80.4 bn $233.7 bn $11,068 7% $11.8 bn $0.9 bn $8,314 $1.4 bn(2.3%) 98.1%(age 15) 75 8.9% 94% 99% 22% 0.756

(73)

6.42

(69)

4.077

(42)

✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✖

The member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.[21]

SAARC was founded by seven states in 1985. In 2005, Afghanistan began negotiating their accession to SAARC and formally applied for membership on the same year.[22][23] The issue of Afghanistan joining SAARC generated a great deal of debate in each member state, including concerns about the definition of South Asian identity because Afghanistan is a Central Asian country.[24]

The SAARC member states imposed a stipulation for Afghanistan to hold a general election; the non-partisan elections were held in late 2005.[24] Despite initial reluctance and internal debates, Afghanistan joined SAARC as its eighth member state in April 2007.[24][25]

Observers

States with observer status include[26] Australia,[27] China, the European Union,[28] Iran, Japan,[28] Mauritius,[29] Myanmar, South Korea and the United States.[30]

On 2 August 2006, the foreign ministers of the SAARC countries agreed in principle to grant observer status to three applicants;[31] the US and South Korea (both made requests in April 2006),[31] as well as the European Union (requested in July 2006).[32] On 4 March 2007, Iran requested observer status,[33] followed shortly by Mauritius.

Potential future members

Myanmar has expressed interest in upgrading its status from an observer to a full member of SAARC.[34] Russia has applied for observer status membership of SAARC.[35][36][37] Turkey applied for observer status membership of SAARC in 2012.[35][36][37] South Africa has participated in meetings.[38]

Secretariat

Secretariat of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation in Kathmandu, Nepal

The SAARC Secretariat was established in Kathmandu on 16 January 1987 and was inaugurated by Late King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah of Nepal.[39]

Regional Centres

The SAARC Secretariat is supported by following Regional Centres established in the Member States to promote regional co-operation. These Centres are managed by Governing Boards comprising representatives from all the Member States, SAARC Secretary-General and the Ministry of Foreign/External Affairs of the Host Government. The Director of the Centre acts as Member Secretary to the Governing Board which reports to the Programming Committee. After 31 December 2015, there 6 regional centers were stopped by unanimous decision. These are SMRC, SFC, SDC, SCZMC, SIC, SHRDC.[40]

Regional Centre Location Country Website
SAARC Agricultural Centre (SAC) Dhaka Bangladesh Official website
SAARC Meteorological Research Centre (SMRC) Dhaka Bangladesh
SAARC Forestry Centre (SFC) Thimphu Bhutan
SAARC Development Fund (SDF) Thimphu Bhutan Official website
SAARC Documentation Centre (SDC) New Delhi India
SAARC Disaster Management Centre (SDMC) Gandhinagar India Official website
SAARC Coastal Zone Management Centre (SCZMC) Malé Maldives
SAARC Information Centre (SIC) Kathmandu Nepal
SAARC Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS Centre (STAC) Kathmandu Nepal Official website
SAARC Human Resources Development Centre (SHRDC) Islamabad Pakistan
SAARC Energy Centre (SEC) Islamabad Pakistan Official website
SAARC Cultural Centre (SCC) Colombo Sri Lanka Official website

Apex and Recognised Bodies

SAARC has six Apex Bodies,[41] they are-

Amjad Hussain B Sial is the current Secretary General of SAARC.

SAARC also has about 17 recognised bodies.[41]

Political issues

Lasting peace and prosperity in South Asia has been elusive because of the various ongoing conflicts in the region. Political dialogue is often conducted on the margins of SAARC meetings which have refrained from interfering in the internal matters of its member states.[43] During the 12th and 13th SAARC summits, extreme emphasis was laid upon greater cooperation between the SAARC members to fight terrorism.[44][45]

The 19th SAARC summit scheduled to be held in Pakistan was called off as India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan decided to boycott it.[46][47] It was for the first time that four countries boycotted a SAARC summit, leading to its cancellation.[48][49]

South Asian Free Trade Area

Countries under the South Asian Free Trade Area

SAFTA was envisaged primarily as the first step towards the transition to a South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) leading subsequently towards a Customs Union, Common Market and the Economic Union. In 1995, Sixteenth session of the Council of Ministers (New Delhi, 18–19 December 1995) agreed on the need to strive for the realisation of SAFTA and to this end, an Inter-Governmental Expert Group (IGEG) was set up in 1996 to identify the necessary steps for progressing to a free trade area. The Tenth SAARC Summit (Colombo, 29–31 July 1998) decided to set up a Committee of Experts (COE) to draft a comprehensive treaty framework for creating a free trade area within the region, taking into consideration the asymmetries in development within the region and bearing in mind the need to fix realistic and achievable targets.

The SAFTA Agreement was signed on 6 January 2004 during Twelfth SAARC Summit held in Islamabad, Pakistan. The Agreement entered into force on 1 January 2006, and the Trade Liberalisation Programme commenced from 1 July 2006. Under this agreement, SAARC members will bring their duties down to 20 percent by 2009. Following the Agreement coming into force the SAFTA Ministerial Council (SMC) has been established comprising the Commerce Ministers of the Member States.[50] In 2012 the SAARC exports increased substantially to US$354.6 billion from US$206.7 billion in 2009. Imports too increased from US$330 billion to US$602 billion over the same period. But the intra-SAARC trade amounts to just a little over 1% of SAARC's GDP. In contrast, in ASEAN (which is actually smaller than SAARC in terms of the size of the economy) the intra-bloc trade stands at 10% of its GDP.

SAFTA was envisaged to gradually move towards the South Asian Economic Union, but the current intra-regional trade and investment relation are not encouraging and it may be difficult to achieve this target. The SAARC intra-regional trade stands at just five percent on the share of intra-regional trade in overall trade in South Asia. Similarly, foreign direct investment is also dismal. The intra-regional FDI flow stands at around four percent of the total foreign investment.[51]

The Asian Development Bank has estimated that inter-regional trade in SAARC region possessed the potential of shooting up agricultural exports by $14 billion per year from existing level of $8 billion to $22 billion. The study by Asian Development Bank states that against the potential average SAARC intra-regional trade of $22 billion per year, the actual trade in South Asia has been only around $8 billion. The uncaptured potential for intra-regional trade is therefore $14 billion per year, i.e. 68%.[52][53]

SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme

The SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme was launched in 1992. The leaders at the Fourth Summit (Islamabad, 29–31 December 1988), realizing the importance of people-to-people contact among SAARC countries, decided that certain categories of dignitaries should be entitled to a Special Travel document. The document would exempt them from visas within the region. As directed by the Summit, the Council of Ministers regularly kept under review the list of entitled categories.

Currently, the list included 24 categories of entitled persons, which include dignitaries, judges of higher courts, parliamentarians, senior officials, entrepreneurs, journalists, and athletes.

The Visa Stickers are issued by the respective Member States to the entitled categories of that particular country. The validity of the Visa Sticker is generally for one year. The implementation is reviewed regularly by the Immigration Authorities of SAARC Member States.[54]

Awards

SAARC Award

The Twelfth Summit approved the SAARC Award to support individuals and organisations within the region. The main aims of the SAARC Award are:

  • To encourage individuals and organisations based in South Asia to undertake programmes and activities that complement the efforts of SAARC
  • To encourage individuals and organisations in South Asia contributing to bettering the conditions of women and children
  • To honour outstanding contributions and achievements of individuals and organisations within the region in the fields of peace, development, poverty alleviation, environmental protection, and regional cooperation
  • To honour any other contributions and achievement not covered above of individuals and organisations in the region.

The SAARC Award consists of a gold medal, a letter of citation, and cash prize of US $25,000 (₹15 lakhs). Since the institution of the SAARC Award in 2004, it has been awarded only once and the Award was posthumously conferred upon the late President Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh.[55]

SAARC Literary Award

Recipients of SAARC Literary Award 2013

The SAARC Literary Award is an annual award conferred by the Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature (FOSWAL) since 2001[56][57] which is an apex SAARC body.[58] Shamshur Rahman, Mahasweta Devi, Jayanta Mahapatra, Abhi Subedi, Mark Tully, Sitakant Mahapatra, Uday Prakash, Suman Pokhrel and Abhay K are some of the prominent recipients of this award.[59]

Nepali poet, lyricist, and translator Suman Pokhrel is the only poet/writer to get this award twice.[60]

SAARC Youth Award

The SAARC Youth Award is awarded to outstanding individuals from the SAARC region. The award is notable because of the recognition it gives to the Award winner in the SAARC region. The award is based on specific themes which apply to each year. The award recognises and promotes the commitment and talent of the youth who give back to the world at large through various initiatives such as Inventions, Protection of the Environment and Disaster relief. The recipients who receive this award are ones who have dedicated their lives to their individual causes to improve situations in their own countries as well as paving a path for the SAARC region to follow. The Committee for the SAARC Youth Award selects the best candidate based on his/her merits and their decision is final.[61]

Previous Winners:

  • 1997: Outstanding Social Service in Community Welfare – Mohammed Sukur Salek (Bangladesh)
  • 1998: New Inventions and Shanu — Najmul Hasnain Shah (Pakistan)
  • 2001: Creative Photography: South Asian Diversity – Mushfiqul Alam (Bangladesh)
  • 2002: Outstanding contribution to protect the Environment – Masil Khan (Pakistan)
  • 2003: Invention in the Field of Traditional Medicine – Hassan Sher (Pakistan)
  • 2004: Outstanding contribution to raising awareness of TB and/or HIV/AIDS – Ajij Prasad Poudyal (Nepal)
  • 2006: Promotion of Tourism in South Asia – Syed Zafar Abbas Naqvi (Pakistan)
  • 2008: Protecting the Environment in South Asia – Uswatta Liyanage Deepani Jayantha (Sri Lanka)
  • 2009: Outstanding contribution to humanitarian works in the aftermath of Natural Disasters – Ravikant Singh (India)
  • 2010: Outstanding contribution for the Protection of Environment and mitigation of Climate Change – Anoka Primrose Abeyrathne (Sri Lanka)

Anthem

SAARC does not have an official anthem like some other regional organisations (e.g. ASEAN).[62] A poem by poet-diplomat Abhay Kumar spurred a search for a better SAARC anthem.[63] Nepal's foreign minister has expressed the need for an SAARC anthem to connect SAARC nations.[64] Nepal at the 18th summit in Kathmandu in November 2014 planned to introduce proposal for an SAARC Anthem in the agenda of summit when heads of all member states meet here.[62]

Secretaries-General of SAARC

# Name Country Took office Left office
1 Abul Ahsan  Bangladesh 16 January 1985 15 October 1989
2 Kant Kishore Bhargava  India 17 October 1989 31 December 1991
3 Ibrahim Hussein Zaki  Maldives 1 January 1992 31 December 1993
4 Yadav Kant Silwal    Nepal 1 January 1994 31 December 1995
5 Naeem U. Hasan  Pakistan 1 January 1996 31 December 1998
6 Nihal Rodrigo  Sri Lanka 1 January 1999 10 January 2002
7 Q. A. M. A. Rahim  Bangladesh 11 January 2002 28 February 2005
8 Chenkyab Dorji  Bhutan 1 March 2005 29 February 2008
9 Sheel Kant Sharma  India 1 March 2008 28 February 2011
10 Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed  Maldives 1 March 2011 11 March 2012
11 Ahmed Saleem  Maldives 12 March 2012 28 February 2014
12 Arjun Bahadur Thapa    Nepal 1 March 2014 28 February 2017
13 Amjad Hussain B Sial  Pakistan 1 March 2017 Incumbent

SAARC summits

Main article: List of SAARC summits
No Date Country Host Host leader
1st 7–8 December 1985 Bangladesh Dhaka Ataur Rahman Khan
2nd 16–17 November 1986 India Bengaluru Rajiv Gandhi
3rd 2–4 November 1987 Nepal Kathmandu King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah
4th 29–31 December 1988 Pakistan Islamabad Benazir Bhutto
5th 21–23 November 1990 Maldives Malé Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
6th 21 December 1991 Sri Lanka Colombo Ranasinghe Premadasa
7th 10–11 April 1993 Bangladesh Dhaka Khaleda Zia
8th 2–4 May 1995 India New Delhi P V Narasimha Rao
9th 12–14 May 1997 Maldives Malé Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
10th 29–31 July 1998 Sri Lanka Colombo Chandrika Kumaratunga
11th 4–6 January 2002 Nepal Kathmandu Sher Bahadur Deuba
12th 2–6 January 2004 Pakistan Islamabad Zafarullah Khan Jamali
13th 12–13 November 2005 Bangladesh Dhaka Khaleda Zia
14th 3–4 April 2007 India New Delhi Manmohan Singh
15th 1–3 August 2008 Sri Lanka Colombo Mahinda Rajapaksa
16th 28–29 April 2010 Bhutan Thimphu Jigme Thinley
17th 10–11 November 2011[65] Maldives Addu Mohammed Nasheed
18th 26–27 November 2014[66] Nepal Kathmandu Sushil Koirala
19th 9–10 November 2016 Pakistan Islamabad Cancelled
20th 2018 Sri Lanka Colombo Maithripala Sirisena

Current leaders of SAARC

See also

Notes

  1. ^ .asia is representative of all of Asia; member states also have their own TLDs.

References

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  3. ^ a b c "Report for Selected Countries and Subjects". imf.org.
  4. ^ Ahmad, Naveed (6 August 2016). "Rest in peace SAARC: The tug of war between India and Pakistan". tribune.com.pk. The Express Tribune.
  5. ^ "Charter of SAARC". SAARC Secretariat. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  6. ^ Center, Asia Regional Integration. "South Asian Free Trade Area Free Trade Agreement". aric.adb.org. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
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  8. ^ "History and mission of SAARC". Daily News. Colombo. 1 August 2008. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Muhammad, Jamshed Iqbal. "SAARC: Origin, Growth, Potential and Achievements" (PDF). National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research in Islamabad. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  10. ^ "A Brief on SAARC." South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. No date. See for a complete historical account of SAARC e.g. Michael, Arndt (2013). India's Foreign Policy and Regional Multilateralism (Palgrave Macmillan), pp. 57–112.
  11. ^ "History and Evolution of SAARC". Jang Media Research Unit. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "About SAARC". SAARC Secretariat. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ a b "1st Summit Declaration" (PDF). SAARC Secretariat. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  14. ^ "Report for Selected Countries and Subjects". imf.org.
  15. ^ "World Population Prospects 2022". United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  16. ^ "World Population Prospects 2022: Demographic indicators by region, subregion and country, annually for 1950-2100" (XSLX) ("Total Population, as of 1 July (thousands)"). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  17. ^ "The World Factbook". cia.gov.
  18. ^ "Net enrolment rate, primary, both sexes (%) - Data". worldbank.org.
  19. ^ "Gross enrolment ratio, secondary, both sexes (%) - Data". worldbank.org.
  20. ^ "Regional Overview of Food Insecurity: Asia and the Pacific" (PDF). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2015.
  21. ^ "South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation". SAARC Secretariat. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  22. ^ "Afghanistan keen to join SAARC". rediff web services. 28 August 2005. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  23. ^ "Afghanistan inducted as 8th member: 14th Saarc summit begins". Dawn. 4 April 2004. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  24. ^ a b c Sáez, Lawrence (2012). The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC): An emerging collaboration architecture. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. pp. 58–. ISBN 978-1-136-67108-1.
  25. ^ "South Asia: Afghanistan Joins World's Largest Regional Grouping." Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 3 April 2007.
  26. ^ "Cooperation with Observers". SAARC Secretariat. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  27. ^ "Sri Lanka, 7 - 30 - 2008: Australia and Myanmar to admit as SAARC observers - Sri Lanka official". ColomboPage.
  28. ^ a b thehimalayantimes.com Archived 9 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  29. ^ "The Island-News". island.lk.
  30. ^ "Cooperation with Observers". SAARC Secretariat. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  31. ^ a b "SAARC to grant observer status to US, S Korea, EU Archived 10 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine." Hindustan Times. 2 August 2006.
  32. ^ Waliur Rahman. "US and S Korea to observe SAARC." BBC News, 11 April 2008.
  33. ^ "Iran requests for observer status in SAARC". China Daily. 4 March 2007.
  34. ^ SAARC and Myanmar: Observer Research Foundation Archived 12 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  35. ^ a b "Russia, Turkey seek observer status in SAARC". The Economic Times. IANS. 16 February 2014. Archived from the original on 23 June 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  36. ^ a b SAARC The Changing Dimensions: UNU-CRIS Working Papers United Nations University Archived 20 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Comparative Regional Integration Studies
  37. ^ a b Russia keen to join SAARC as observer, Oneindia News
  38. ^ "SAARC nations call for transparency in social sector". thaindian.com.
  39. ^ "Features | Online edition of Daily News - Lakehouse Newspapers". archives.dailynews.lk. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  40. ^ http://saarc-sec.org/saarc-regional-centres
  41. ^ a b "South Asian Association For Regional Cooperation — Apex and Recognised Bodies". saarc-sec.org.
  42. ^ "SAARCLAW — South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation in Law". saarclaw.org.
  43. ^ See for this aspect Michael, Arndt (2013). Sovereignty vs. Security: SAARC and its Role in the Regional Security Architecture in South Asia. Harvard Asia Quarterly Summer 2013, Vol. VX, No.2: 37-45
  44. ^ Jhawar, Shiv (2004). Building a Noble World. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-9749197-0-6.
  45. ^ "The Nobel Peace Prize for 2012". Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  46. ^ https://www.geo.tv/latest/116144-SAARC-conference-in-Pakistan-postponed-confirm-official-sources
  47. ^ http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/dhaka-kabul-thimphu-too-blame-islamabad-saarc-summit-to-be-called-off-3054953/
  48. ^ http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/saarc-summit-collapses-after-india-and-3-other-members-pull-out/story-kIMWfSqirGLzB6MEfuS3CN.html
  49. ^ http://www.dawn.com/news/1286684
  50. ^ "South Asian Association For Regional Cooperation — Area of Cooperation". saarc-sec.org.
  51. ^ http://thehimalayantimes.com/business/safta-meet-likely-next-month/
  52. ^ https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/142861-ADB-urges-Safta-to-exploit-rich-trade-potential-of-member-countries
  53. ^ http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/Coming-closer-together-for-trade/article14628676.ece
  54. ^ "South Asian Association For Regional Cooperation — SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme". saarc-sec.org.
  55. ^ "South Asian Association For Regional Cooperation — SAARC Award". saarc-sec.org.
  56. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) FOSWAL Website
  57. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Five Writers honoured at SAARC Litearure Festival, Hindustan Times 11 March 2013
  58. ^ [1] Official website of SAARC:Apex and Recognized Bodies
  59. ^ Mahasweta Devi to get SAARC Literary Award Oneindia.in 30 March 2007
  60. ^ Hindustan Times, New Delhi, Saturday, 14 February 2015
  61. ^ http://saarc-sec.org/SAARC-Youth-Award/71/
  62. ^ a b Will SAARC have an anthem-like ASEAN? Hindustan Times, 3 November 2014
  63. ^ Indian diplomat's poem spurs search for SAARC anthem IANS 9 January 2014
  64. ^ Nepal foreign minister expresses need for an anthem to connect SAARC nations Business Standard, 6 June 2014
  65. ^ "Maldives holiday reviews — Travel Guides — Maldives Traveller". maldivestraveller.mv. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  66. ^ "Press Releases, 18th SAARC Summit Declaration, November 27, 2014". SAARC. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
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