ISLAMABAD:
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday called for setting up a new regional body to replace the long-dormant South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
Speaking at the inaugural session of the 5th Islamabad Conclave, organized by the Islamabad Strategic Studies Institute (ISSI), Dar warned that South Asia could no longer remain trapped in “zero-sum mentalities, political fragmentation and dysfunctional regional architecture.”
He said Pakistan sought “open and inclusive regionalism” and expressed support for emerging multilateral platforms outside SAARC.
Dar said earlier this year that Pakistan, Bangladesh and China established a trilateral mechanism to foster mutual collaboration in areas of common interests.
“This concept can be expanded and replicated. As I have said before, groups with variable geometry – on issues ranging from the economy to regional priorities – cannot and should not be held hostage to anyone’s rigidity,” Dar said, in a veiled reference to India.
The recent trilateral meeting of Pakistan, China and Bangladesh in Kunming, the first of its kind, was a key step in the ongoing consultations.
Senior diplomats from the three countries explored the contours of a new grouping, with a view to eventually inviting other South Asian states, including Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Afghanistan.
India would also be invited to join the proposed forum, the sources said, but New Delhi is unlikely to participate given its growing strategic divergence with both Pakistan and China.
SAARC, once conceived as the “EU of South Asia”, has been effectively defunct since 2016, when India boycotted the summit Islamabad was due to host. Bangladesh, then under Sheikh Hasina, also did the same.
No summit has been held since then and recent actions, including India’s withdrawal of SAARC visa exemptions for Pakistani businessmen, have further weakened the organisation.
Officials familiar with the side discussions said Pakistan and China concluded that the region could no longer wait for SAARC to revive and that “like-minded countries should move forward.”
Observers note that India’s disquiet with broader regional groupings has increased in recent years.
India also faced an embarrassing moment last week when nine SCO members refused to endorse its position on Pakistan. New Delhi refused to sign the final statement because it did not include language aligned with its narrative on the Pahalgam attack.
In his speech, the foreign minister urged South Asian states to break “the burden of history” and pursue cooperation on security, economics, climate adaptation and connectivity. He cited the recent 92-hour crisis between India and Pakistan as evidence of how fragile the region remains.
Dar said Pakistan envisions a South Asia where “connectivity replaces divisions” and disputes are resolved peacefully, while adding that a just solution to the Jammu and Kashmir issue remains “indispensable” for sustainable peace.
He also welcomed new formats of cooperation, including the Pakistan-China-Bangladesh trilateral mechanism, which he said could be expanded to broader coalitions with “variable geometry” in trade, technology and infrastructure.
