SAARC & Its Future

Why Pakistan and Bangladesh want SAARC revival?

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What is SAARC?

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia. Its member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. SAARC comprises 3% of the world's land area, 21% of the world's population and 5.21% (US$4.47 trillion) of the global economy, as of 2021.

What is current state of SAARC?

India raised concerns about Pakistan's support of terrorism after an attack on an army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir in 2016. Nineteen Indian soldiers were killed in that attack.

India withdrew from the summit after the attack, and Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka followed.

"India has conveyed to current Saarc Chair Nepal that increasing cross-border terrorist attacks in the region... have created an environment that is not conducive to the successful holding of the 19th Saarc Summit," the Indian foreign ministry said in a statement in 2016.

INDIA STAYED AWAY FROM SAARC AFTER 2016 URI ATTACK

While Pakistan has pushed for a Saarc revival multiple times, India has stood its ground that it will continue its withdrawal from the Saarc.

This tussle began in 2016 when the 19th Saarc summit was supposed to be conducted in Islamabad.

Hereon, India has said time and again that it cannot be a part of "terrorism by day, trade by night".

Why Pakistan and Bangladesh want its revival?

 

Why Pakistan and Bangladesh want its revival?

With Pakistan and Bangladesh economy in shambles, both want access to Indian market and transit via india to have access to other markets.

Why India is not Interested?

India has focused on reviving BIMSTEC to achieve objectives in East asia & engage with eastern neighbours who are part of SAARC. In terms of trade and business, Pakistan and Afghanistan are not significant and India can Punish and Isolate Pakistan by reaching Afghanistan via.Iran.

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