ChiPak Plan: Nepal indifferent on possible South Asian union without India, keen on Saarc

New Delhi: Nepal, as the current Saarc chair and country that hosts the Saarc Secretariat, is not enthusiastic about a recent move by China and Pakistan to create a possible South Asian union without India.

Kathmandu is keen that Saarc be revived with full participation of India, ET has learnt. China has not yet approached Nepal with its proposal, but Kathmandu has little enthusiasm for such a move, indicated people in the know.

Kathmandu-based sources told ET that Nepal has been a strong believer in Saarc and is hopeful that the process can be revived for a robust region and is not keen at this stage to join any South Asian platform minus India.


The last Saarc summit was held in Kathmandu in 2014. The 19th Saarc Summit, planned for Islamabad in 2016, was postponed due to India's decision not to participate following the Uri terror attack.

China and Pakistan are trying to put together trilaterals of like-minded countries in South Asia to create a larger regional grouping minus India. Bhutan, a close partner for India, is unlikely to be approached with the proposed idea.

Last month, China hosted foreign secretaries of Pakistan and Bangladesh in the first-ever trilateral format.