Short answers, pulled from the story.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation was founded in Dhaka on the 8th of December 1985. Seven nations signed a declaration to create this new intergovernmental organization at that time.
Afghanistan became the eighth member state when it joined SAARC in April 2007 after negotiations began in 2005. The organization now includes eight nations covering three percent of the world land area with twenty-one percent of the global population as of 2024.
The SAARC Secretariat operates from Kathmandu, Nepal where it was established on the 16th of January 1987. King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah of Nepal inaugurated this central administrative body.
Current intra-regional trade stands at five percent of overall trade volume within South Asia despite potential reaching twenty-two billion US dollars annually according to Asian Development Bank estimates. Actual exports reached three hundred fifty-four point six billion US dollars in 2012 compared to two hundred six point seven billion in 2009.
India-Pakistan conflicts have paralyzed summits since the early days of the organization's existence following a terrorist attack on an army camp in Uri. This marked the first time four countries refused to attend a meeting leading directly to cancellation.