♤ Dhaka pursued the idea of SAARC initially with a view to containing the “hegemony” of India in South Asia, a view fuelled by the structural asymmetry between India and its smaller South Asian neighbors.

♤ India also on the other hand was not very enthusiastic about the idea of SAARC as it believed that given the fact that its neighbors harboured too many apprehensions about it and this will hamper the prospects of India at the organization, rather it will become a platform for bashing India.