Question

The Headquarters of SAARC is located at ___________.
A. New Delhi
B. Dhaka
C. Lahore
D. Kathmandu

Answer 1

Hint: The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was set up in 1985. It is a significant territorial activity by the South Asian states to develop participation through multilateral methods.

Complete answer:
The Headquarters of SAARC is in Kathmandu, Nepal. Cooperation in SAARC is based on the respect of five principles which are territorial integrity, sovereign equality, political independence, mutual benefit, and non-interference in internal affairs of the Member States. Annual Summits are held in SAARC and it excludes bilateral and contentious issues from its deliberations.
Within the South Asia region, SAARC aims to promote economic growth, social progress, and cultural development. The objectives of SAARC, as defined in its charter, are as follows: Improve their quality of life of the people of South Asia and promote welfare; accelerate economic growth, social progress, and cultural development in the region by providing all individuals the opportunity to realize their full potential and live in dignity; strengthen and promote collective self-reliance among the nations of South Asia; contribute to mutual trust, appreciation, and understanding of one another’s problems; promote mutual assistance in the economic, technical, scientific, social, and cultural fields and active collaboration also; strengthen cooperation with other developing countries and also among the member states in international forums on matters of common interest, and cooperate with other regional and international organizations with similar aims and purposes.

Thus, option (D) is correct.

Note: In 2007, Afghanistan joined as the 8th member of SAARC. n addition to the eight Member States which are Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, nine Observer States also join SAARC Summits which are China, USA, Australia, Myanmar, Iran, Japan, Mauritius, South Korea, and the European Union.