— Ch. 1 · Founding And Early History —
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.
~6 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
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. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka were the original member states. President Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh had proposed the idea years earlier during his visit to India in December 1977. He discussed regional cooperation with Indian Prime Minister Morarji Desai at that time. King Birendra of Nepal also called for close cooperation among South Asian countries in an inaugural speech in Kathmandu later that same year. The Soviet Union's intervention in Afghanistan accelerated efforts to establish the union in 1979. Officials from foreign ministries met for the first time in Colombo in April 1981. They identified five broad areas for regional cooperation including agriculture, rural development, telecommunications, meteorology, and health activities. Foreign secretaries of the seven countries adopted the Declaration on SAARC in 1983. The first summit took place in Dhaka on the 7th and the 8th of December 1985. It was hosted by President Hussain Ershad of Bangladesh.
Membership And Demographics
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. These countries hold twenty-one percent of the global population as of 2024. Their combined economy represents five point two one percent of the global GDP worth four point four seven trillion US dollars. India has the largest population with over one billion four hundred fifty million people. Its nominal gross domestic product reached three point eight nine trillion US dollars in 2024. Pakistan follows with a population exceeding two hundred fifty million and an economy valued at three hundred seventy-four billion US dollars. Bangladesh accounts for more than one hundred seventy-three million citizens generating four hundred fifty-one billion US dollars in economic output. Sri Lanka maintains a smaller but significant presence with nearly twenty-two million residents producing seventy-five billion US dollars annually. Afghanistan remains a member despite Taliban control since 2021 though no other members recognize that government. All eight states participate in regional discussions even while political tensions persist between key players like India and Pakistan.