So far, Pakistan has acted as a spoiler for SAARC, but SAARC can proceed without Pakistan. SAARC will be the umbrella for joint economic development. Subgroupings in SAARC will work also in conjunction with subgroupings in ASEAN.
The India-SAARC topic in BRF is one more sign that India's obsession with Pakistan is a thing of the past.
Please post all multi-lateral news items and analysis (i.e., affecting more than two SAARC countries) on this thread.
Here is an inaugural news-item from Bangladesh:
http://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/b ... 2018-68124
The significance of the below is that the river water disputes that held up development of hydropower in India's east and northeast are now yielding to cooperative agreements where all the riparian countries enjoy the benefits of development. This can be contrasted very favorably, for example, with India-Pakistan situation on the westward flowing Himalayan rivers of the Indus basin.
Besides, the government is trying to import electricity under the Saarc Framework Agreement from Energy Cooperation (Electricity) and Bimstec Trans-Power Exchange and Development project.
The cabinet will soon ratify the Saarc electricity deal to pave the way for electricity exchanges among the Saarc countries by setting up common grid, using which excess power in one region can easily be used to meet deficit elsewhere.
Sources said New Delhi has made a move to facilitate integrated power grid for Saarc member states to begin cross-border trading on the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX).
The move will initially enable short-term buying and selling of power with Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan as these countries already have grid connectivity with India.
The IEX has sought consent from the Indian government for cross-border trading of 120MW with Bhutan and 50MW each with Bangladesh and Nepal.
A sub-regional strategic alliance of Nepal, India and Bangladesh have decided to jointly exploit their hydropower sector and use water resources management for mutual advantage, including jointly developing and financing projects in the Ganges river basin.
Similarly, Bhutan, India and Bangladesh have agreed to work in the Brahmaputra basin under a framework named Bhutan, India and Bangladesh (BIB) Initiative.
According to foreign ministry officials, Bimstec member states -- Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand -- are expected to ink a Memorandum of Understanding on Trans-power Exchange.
Dhaka will host the taskforce meeting on March 16 on the Bimstec Trans-power Exchange to sign the MoU, which will enable the member states to share their surplus electricity with each other through their national grids.