SAARC

Background and evolution

The idea of a South Asian grouping was promoted by Bangladesh's President Ziaur Rahman in 1980. Smaller countries saw regional cooperation as a way to balance India's size; India and Pakistan were initially cautious, fearing it could be used against them. The Charter, adopted at the first summit in Dhaka, excluded bilateral and contentious issues and required decisions by unanimity.

SAARC created several institutions and agreements: the SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA, 1993), the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA, 2004, in force 2006), the SAARC Food Bank, the South Asian University in New Delhi (2010) and the SAARC Development Fund. Yet trade within South Asia remains low, at around 5 percent of the region's total trade. India–Pakistan tensions repeatedly held up meetings and agreements, including a regional motor vehicles agreement that Pakistan did not accept in 2014.

Key features and provisions

• Principles: sovereign equality, territorial integrity, non-interference and mutual benefit.
• Unanimity: all decisions require consensus.
• No bilateral issues: contentious bilateral disputes are kept off the agenda.
• Summits: meant to be annual, but have been irregular; only 18 held up to 2014.
• Regional centres: specialised centres on agriculture, energy, disaster management and culture in different member countries.