The President of the Maldives, Mohammed Muizzu, made another call for the revival of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) during his visit to Pakistan on October 21, 2026. Bangladesh, under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, has also called for the revival of SAARC. The idea has received support from experts and public intellectuals concerned about the welfare of people living in the region. The Government of India responded to these remarks by stating that Pakistan was “stymieing” the grouping. The Promotion of BIMSTEC as an alternative to SAARC is an exercise in diplomatic shortsightedness. Equally shortsighted is the idea of reviving SAARC without India. Countries in the region have little to lose but much to gain if the SAARC platform is revived.

The 19th SAARC Summit was scheduled to be hosted in Islamabad from November 15 to 19, 2016, but was indefinitely postponed amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. On the positive side, however, relations between India and Pakistan have not completely broken down on all fronts. India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, visited Pakistan on October 15–16, 2024, to attend the 23rd meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government and thanked Pakistan for its hospitality. India also participated in the planning session of the SCO Council of National Coordinators in Islamabad from September 28 to 30, 2026.The two countries completed their 35th consecutive exchange of lists of nuclear installations and facilities on January 1, 2026. The hotlines between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) remain active, and the ceasefire is also holding. Furthermore, the statement made by RSS leader Dattatreya Hosabale on improving people-to-people contact between India and Pakistan was a welcome development. Many experts consider the RSS as India’s deeper state, influencing relations with Pakistan. Be that as it may, three immediate factors have a bearing on the revival of SAARC.

Weighing Three FactorsFirst, the dominant view in India is that containing terrorism emanating from Pakistan is the magic bullet for rescuing bilateral relations and bringing them back to normalcy. Diplomat Ajay Bisaria argues that “India’s instincts were primarily economic, and India’s relationship with its neighbours was focused on providing security for the Indian economy to grow and preserving the economic gains already made.” This is quite understandable and reasonable for any major economy but is not exclusive to India. This instinct is now fairly........

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