“Increasing cross-border terrorist attacks in India and growing interference in the internal affairs of several member-states by Pakistan are not conducive for the future of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation).” Explain with suitable examples.
Approach · directive: “explain”
What it asks · Show with examples how terrorism from Pakistani soil and Pakistan's interference have damaged trust and cooperation within SAARC, and what it means for the grouping.
The question has 3 parts — answer each
- Explain with examples how cross-border terrorist attacks from Pakistani soil damage SAARC's prospects
- Explain with examples how Pakistan's interference in members' internal affairs damages SAARC
- Assess what this means for SAARC's future, with the counter-view
Open with · SAARC, founded in 1985, works by consensus and has struggled to deliver, with India-Pakistan tensions weighing heavily on its progress.
Cover
- Terror attacks: Pathankot (January 2016) and Uri (September 2016) were traced to Pakistan-based groups, and earlier the 2008 Mumbai attacks broke off trust.
- Summit boycott: after Uri, India declined to attend the November 2016 Islamabad summit; Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan followed, and it was postponed.
- Interference: Afghanistan alleges Pakistani support to the Taliban and Haqqani network; Bangladesh objected to Pakistan's comments on its war crimes trials.
- Blocked cooperation: Pakistan held up the SAARC Motor Vehicles Agreement at the 2014 Kathmandu summit; SAFTA (2006) and connectivity have delivered little.
- Counter-view: SAARC's Charter keeps bilateral issues off its agenda (Article X), and smaller members also worry about India's size, so mistrust is not one-sided.
- Alternatives: India turned to sub-regional and other frameworks such as BBIN and BIMSTEC, keeping SAARC in social and cultural areas.
Close with · SAARC's future depends on Pakistan ending cross-border terrorism and on rebuilding trust; meanwhile sub-regional cooperation keeps regional integration moving.
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2016, GS Paper II — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer · 268 words (UPSC limit 200) · Minimalist IAS
SAARC, founded in 1985, decides by consensus, and Article X of its Charter keeps bilateral and contentious issues off its agenda. That design cannot hold when one member's conduct erodes trust across the region, as Pakistan's did in 2016.
Cross-border terrorism
- The attacks on the Pathankot air base (January 2016) and the Uri army camp (September 2016), like the Mumbai attacks of 2008, were traced to Pakistan-based groups.
- After Uri, India declined to attend the SAARC summit due in Islamabad in November 2016; Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan also pulled out, and the summit was postponed.
- Under the consensus rule, a member seen as a source of terror turns cooperation into hostage: no summit, no new agreements.
Interference in internal affairs
- Afghanistan has repeatedly accused Pakistan of sheltering the Taliban and the Haqqani network, which strike Afghan cities and institutions.
- Bangladesh objected to Pakistan's comments on its 1971 war crimes trials as interference in its domestic justice system.
- Pakistan blocked the SAARC Motor Vehicles Agreement at the 2014 Kathmandu summit, so road connectivity moved ahead as BBIN without it.
What it means for SAARC
- Little delivery: SAFTA (2006) has barely raised intra-regional trade, and energy and connectivity projects wait on consensus.
- Counter-view: smaller members also worry about India's size, and the India–Pakistan rivalry is two-sided; SAARC still works in social sectors, such as the South Asian University in Delhi.
- India's response: invest in BBIN and BIMSTEC, keeping regional integration moving while SAARC stalls.
SAARC's future rests on Pakistan ending support to cross-border terror and respecting members' sovereignty; until then sub-regional platforms will carry South Asian integration forward without it.
Written by Minimalist IAS from facts checked at source (how we verify) — a little fuller than exam length, so every part of the question is covered; in the hall, keep the structure and trim the detail. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.