Question

The first secretary General of SAARC was ________.
(A) Jinnah
(B) Abdul Ahsan
(C) Kofti Annan
(D) Gandhiji

Answer 1

Hint: The Secretariat of SAARC was established by a Bangladesh diplomat on 16 January 1987 in Kathmandu. He was the first Secretary-General of SAARC. It was inaugurated by the King Birendra Bir Bikkram Shah of Nepal.

Complete step-by-step answer:
The SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) is in the states of South Asia which is a geopolitical union and a regional intergovernmental organization. Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, India, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka are its member states. On 8 December 1985, the SAARC was founded in Dhaka. Its secretariat is at Kathmandu, Nepal and the first Secretary-General of SAARC was Abdul Ahsan. The development of economic and regional integration is promoted by this organisation. The South Asian Free Trade Area was launched by it in 2006. As an observer, the SAARC maintains permanent diplomatic relations at the United Nations. It has also developed links with the multilateral entities, including the European Union. Among the South Asian Countries, the idea of co-operation was discussed in three conferences which include the Asian Relations Conference held in New Delhi in April 1947; the Baguio Conference held in the Philippines in May 1950; and in April 1954, the Colombo Powers Conference was held in Sri Lanka.

Thus, option (B) is correct.

Note: The countries which agreed to the creation of a trade bloc are India, Bhutan, the Maldives, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. They also agreed to provide a platform to work together in a spirit of friendship, trust and understanding for the people of South Asia.