Pakistan Seeks New South Asian Bloc Without India, But Regional Realities May Undercut the Plan

The debate was triggered after Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar recently announced that Islamabad intends to broaden its trilateral partnership with Bangladesh and China into a wider regional framework. Dar framed the move as an effort to replace the long-inactive South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), arguing that South Asia can no longer remain confined to what he described as “zero-sum mindsets, political fragmentation and dysfunctional regional architecture.” He insisted that Pakistan is working toward “open and inclusive regionalism,” positioned as a contrast to what he implied are exclusionary dynamics in the existing order.

However, the feasibility of such a bloc remains uncertain. India’s economic size, diplomatic influence, and proven crisis-management capabilities make it an indispensable player in South Asian affairs. For this reason, foreign-policy observers say it is unlikely that regional governments would risk joining an alliance that deliberately omits New Delhi. A Lahore-based academic described Pakistan’s proposal as “more aspirational than operational” at this stage, noting that Islamabad’s vision may struggle to gain traction without broad-based political trust and economic incentives.

The timing of the proposal is also significant. It comes shortly after a four-day military confrontation between India and Pakistan in May, which further strained relations and diminished prospects for restarting SAARC—already inactive for years due to bilateral disagreements. While Pakistan portrays its new initiative as a response to regional stagnation, critics argue that circumventing India rather than engaging with it is unlikely to produce lasting stability or cooperation.

For now, Dar’s statement serves more as a marker of Pakistan’s diplomatic intent than as a concrete policy pathway. Despite Islamabad’s effort to rally neighbouring countries, the underlying geopolitical dynamics—from India’s centrality to regional trade to the ongoing mistrust between South Asian capitals—suggest that building a viable bloc without New Delhi may remain an elusive goal. The coming months will reveal whether Islamabad can convert its rhetoric into a credible alternative framework or whether the idea will join the list of regional experiments that struggled to overcome entrenched political realities.