Identify incorrect statement related to the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC):

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 4:
The statement, "The 19th SAARC summit was supposed to be held in Dhaka and then got cancelled due to terror strike in Uri (India) in 2019," is the incorrect statement related to SAARC, which is why it is the correct answer to the MCQ. In reality, the 19th SAARC Summit was scheduled to be held in **Islamabad, Pakistan**, from November 15-19, 2016, not Dhaka. Furthermore, the cancellation occurred in **2016**, following the cross-border terror attack on an Indian Army base in Uri in September 2016. Due to the tense diplomatic environment and India's subsequent withdrawal from the summit, followed by Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Afghanistan, the summit was effectively postponed indefinitely. This diplomatic action underscored the impact of bilateral tensions, particularly between India and Pakistan, on the regional cooperation body. Therefore, the details regarding both the host city (Dhaka vs. Islamabad) and the year of cancellation (2019 vs. 2016) in Option 4 are factually inaccurate, making this the statement that does *not* relate correctly to SAARC.

The incorrect option is 1:
This statement says, "India is the founding member of SAARC," which is a factual and historically accurate statement. SAARC, established in 1985 with the signing of the SAARC Charter in Dhaka, Bangladesh, was founded by seven member states: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. India played a critical role in the formation and ongoing functioning of this regional body, aimed at promoting welfare economics, collective self-reliance, and cooperation among the nations of South Asia. Therefore, this option is a correct statement and hence not the answer to the question asking for the *incorrect* statement.

The incorrect option is 2:
This statement asserts, "Afghanistan joined SAARC through the signing of a joint declaration in 2007," which is also factually correct. Afghanistan was admitted as the eighth member state of SAARC at the 14th SAARC Summit, held in New Delhi, India, in April 2007. Their inclusion demonstrated SAARC's efforts to expand its geographical scope to include the broader region and reflect the changing political dynamics of South Asia. This step marked a significant moment in the organization's history, recognizing Afghanistan's cultural and geographical links to South Asia. Since the statement accurately reflects this historical event, it is a correct statement and is not the required answer.

The incorrect option is 3:
The statement claims, "Out of the eighteen SAARC Summits held so far, India has hosted three, viz. the second, the eighth and the fourteenth." This is a correct piece of information regarding SAARC's history. India has indeed hosted the SAARC Summits three times: the 2nd Summit in Bangalore (1986), the 8th Summit in New Delhi (1995), and the 14th Summit, also in New Delhi (2007). These summits allowed India to take a leadership role in setting the agenda for regional cooperation and addressing shared challenges. Because this statement is historically verifiable and accurate, it must be ruled out as the incorrect statement.