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Published : 06 Dec 2025, 12:58 AM
Pakistan has proposed expanding an emerging trilateral initiative with Bangladesh and China into a wider regional bloc that excludes India, a move it has pitched as a fresh model of cooperation for South Asia.
The suggestion has been made as the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, or SAARC, remains stalled by longstanding India-Pakistan tensions.
In its analysis, Al Jazeera has reported that Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar outlined the idea at the Islamabad Conclave on Wednesday, framing it as a step towards “mutual collaboration” that could be extended to other countries.
The Qatar-based outlet noted that the three-way cooperation was discussed earlier in June when diplomats from China, Pakistan and Bangladesh met and stressed that their engagement was “not directed at any third party”.
“We have opposed … zero-sum approaches and consistently stressed the imperative of cooperation rather than confrontation,” Dar said at the forum.
He added that the concept could be “expanded and duplicated” for other regions. “Our own national development needs and regional priorities cannot -- and should not -- be held hostage to anyone’s rigidity, and you know where I am referring to,” he said, in an apparent reference to India.
The remarks come amid heightened geopolitical strains. Pakistan and India, both nuclear-armed neighbours, fought a brief four-day air war in May.
Bangladesh-India relations have also “worsened sharply” since the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August last year.
Analysts cited by Al Jazeera observe that the proposal effectively signals Pakistan’s intent to explore options beyond SAARC, which has remained largely dormant.
Academic Rabia Akhtar, director at the Centre for Security, Strategy and Policy Research at the University of Lahore, said the plan currently appears “more aspirational than operational” but reflects an attempt to “reimagine regional cooperation mechanisms” at a moment when traditional platforms have stalled.
SAARC, founded in Dhaka in 1985 with eight member states, has struggled to advance its objectives due to decades of disagreements between India and Pakistan, according to the Al Jazeera.
The body has not held a summit since 2014, and its 2016 meeting in Islamabad was indefinitely postponed after India withdrew.
Trade within South Asia remains minimal and regional connectivity underdeveloped, the analysis highlights.
The World Bank estimates South Asian nations could triple intra-regional trade if barriers were reduced.
Yet key agreements, including a cross-border Motor Vehicles Agreement, have failed to progress.
Al Jazeera noted that bilateral and trilateral arrangements such as BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal) and BIMSTEC have continued to evolve, while SAARC has remained paralysed.
Analysts say these smaller frameworks often provide “more flexibility, clearer incentives and a greater likelihood of producing tangible outcomes”.
Whether Pakistan’s proposed bloc will gain traction remains uncertain.
Prof Shahab Enam Khan of the Bangladesh Center for Indo-Pacific Affairs told the outlet that the idea is “critically needed” and that South Asia has repeatedly failed to practise pragmatic regionalism.
International Crisis Group analyst Praveen Donthi said SAARC’s stagnation has created “a vacuum for another South Asian forum”, with Dhaka’s deteriorating relations with New Delhi opening space for new alignments.
Rabia, however, cautioned that participation by other South Asian countries may remain limited, as states weigh “political costs vis-à-vis India”.
She said Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Maldives and possibly Bhutan might show initial curiosity, especially on connectivity and climate-related issues. But India’s sensitivities and its rivalry with Pakistan and China are expected to keep membership uptake cautious.
Donthi told Al Jazeera that the proposal, if advanced, “could further widen the gap between India and Bangladesh” while intensifying India-China competition in the region.
Still, analysts said Pakistan appears to be acting from a position of diplomatic confidence.
Farwa Aamer of the Asia Society Policy Institute said Islamabad is showing “strategic coherence” as it balances strong ties with China with efforts to improve relations with the United States and Gulf countries.
This dual approach, she said, has encouraged Islamabad to see itself once again as a significant regional actor seeking to “reclaim a seat at the centre of regional diplomacy”.
