The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) has skipped Afghanistan’s turn to take its Secretary-General role due to a lack of a recognised government.
According to Pakistani newspaper, The Nation, the SAARC secretariat has selected Gholam Sarwar, a senior Bangladeshi diplomat, as the news Secretary-General of the organisation.
Gholam Sarwar is replacing Esala Ruwan Weerakoon from Sri Lanka, who would have been followed by a representative from Afghanistan if the country had an internationally recognised government.
SAARC was established with the signing of its charter in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 8 December 1985. Afghanistan officially joined the regional club of South Asian nations, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, in April 2007 under Hamid Karzai.
