Question

South Asian Association for Regional Organisation was formed in the year __________.
A. 1985
B. 1986
C. 1950
D. 1946

Answer 1

Hint: The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation was established in Dhaka on 8th December. Its secretariat is located in Kathmandu which is the capital of Nepal.

Complete answer: The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation was established in Dhaka on 8th December 1985. Its secretariat is currently located in Kathmandu, Nepal. The association fosters the development of economic and regional integration among the member countries. In 2006 it started the South Asian Free Trade Area. It is commonly addressed as ‘SAARC’ and advances permanent diplomatic relations with the United Nations. It has also cultivated links with multilateral entities such as the European Union. the international conference held in Dhaka, by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in 1983, the foreign ministers of seven countries adopted the Declaration on South Asian Association Regional Cooperation (SAARC). It therefore formally launched the Integrated Programme of Action (IPA). Originally there were five agreed areas of cooperation called, Agriculture; Rural Development; Telecommunications; Meteorology; and Health and Population Activities. The first-ever SAARC summit was held in Dhaka on 7–8 December 1985. It was hosted by the then President of Bangladesh u.e. Hussain Ershad.

Therefore option “A” is the correct answer.

Note: The eight members of SAARC are Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. It comprises 21% of the world's population.