Context

• The rise of China in South Asia reflects and demands India’s Increasing role in SAARC regional Cooperation.

About SAARC

• The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established on December 8, 1985.
• SAARC is an economic and political regional organisation of countries in South Asia.
• The Secretariat of the Association was set up in Kathmandu, Nepal, in January 1987.
• SAARC has eight member countries — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
• SAARC aims to accelerate the process of economic and social development in its member states through increased intra-regional cooperation.

Objective of SAARC

• The organisation's primary purpose was to build collective selfreliance, promote socio-economic development of member states, and cooperation and mutual assistance in several sectors and with other regional and international organisations like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU).

Concerns associated with SAARC Group

• BRI Dominance: Massive Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) investments bind the region economically and strategically to China (e.g., CPEC in Pakistan, Hambantota/Mattala in Sri Lanka, infrastructure in Nepal, Maldives, Bangladesh). 
• "SAARC Minus India" Strategy: China promotes a vision of South Asian regionalism that excludes India, aiming to position itself as the primary external power broker. It actively courts other SAARC members bilaterally and multilaterally without India.

Why is BIMSTEC NOT a Viable Replacement for SAARC?

• Geographical Exclusion: BIMSTEC excludes Afghanistan and Pakistan, failing to encompass the entire South Asian strategic space. Afghanistan's stability is crucial for India, and Pakistan remains a key neighbor. 
• China's Encroachment: China is actively seeking membership or enhanced engagement within BIMSTEC (e.g., strong ties with Myanmar, Thailand; lobbying for entry). Its dominance within BIMSTEC is a distinct possibility.
• Institutional Weakness: BIMSTEC lacks SAARC's established charter, secretariat depth, and history of regional cooperation frameworks. It faces its own implementation hurdles.
• Complementary, Not Substitute: BIMSTEC can be useful for subregional Bay of Bengal cooperation but cannot replicate SAARC's role as the primary and comprehensive South Asian regional body.

Major Reason Behind SAARC Failures

• SAARC has utterly failed to achieve the majority of its goals. The world's most impoverished and least integrated region is still South Asia.
• When compared to other regions like the ASEAN and SubSaharan Africa, South Asia's intraregional trade and investment are quite low.
• Within SAARC, Pakistan has taken an obstructive stance. It frequently obstructs important initiatives like the motor vehicles agreement, which is meant to improve regional connections. Things have gotten worse as India and Pakistan's enmity has grown. Since 2014, there have been no SAARC summits, thus killing the organisation.
• Deepening hostility between India and Pakistan has made matters worse. Since 2014, no SAARC summit has taken place leaving the organisation rudderless, and practically dead. 

India's Imperative need for Revive and Lead SAARC

• Non-Negotiable Platform: SAARC remains the essential vehicle for South Asian regionalism. India must recommit to it strategically.
• Focus on non-controversial areas (climate change, disaster management, pandemics, trade facilitation where possible).
• Promote sub-regional cooperation within the SAARC framework (e.g., BBIN - Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal). Engage robustly with other members bilaterally to build consensus and isolate Pakistani intransigence.
• Demonstrate Commitment: India must signal unequivocally that SAARC is its top regional priority, investing political capital and resources to make it functional.
• Parallel BIMSTEC Development: Continue strengthening BIMSTEC for Bay of Bengal cooperation, but clearly position it as complementary to, not a replacement for, SAARC.