Pakistan's Attempt to Create a South Asian Alliance Without India: Why Experts Say It's Destined to Fail

Dec 10, 2025 06:18 pm CST

Pakistan is pursuing a new regional alliance with Bangladesh and China while attempting to exclude India from South Asian cooperation. Despite Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar's proposal to expand this trilateral mechanism as an alternative to the dormant SAARC, analysts argue that India's economic dominance, crisis management capabilities, and essential role in regional trade make any South Asian bloc without New Delhi impractical and unsustainable.