the South Asian Free Trade Area in 2006.

♤ SAARC also has nine Observers (Australia, China, European Union, Iran, Japan, Mauritius, Myanmar, South Korea and USA). SAARC maintains permanent diplomatic relations at the United Nations as an observer and has developed links with multilateral entities.

♤ 19th SAARC Summit, scheduled to take place in 2015 in Islamabad, was postponed due to non participation of India and other countries owing to Pakistan's interference in the domestic affairs of other countries.