SAARC confined in paper: Dr. Yunus 

Muhammad Yunus, the chief adviser in Bangladesh's interim government, has the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is confined in paper.

He made the comment in an interview with the Press Trust of India at his Dhaka residence, published on Friday.

He emphasized the need to revive the spirit of SAARC, saying that the eight-nation group has the potential to address many of the region's issues. 

SAARC had been established with a noble mission, it currently existed in name only and lacked functionality, he said.

The bloc comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Yunus said he would try to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York and expressed his intent to gather the Saarc leaders for a symbolic photo opportunity. 

Yunus lamented the long hiatus of Saarc summits, suggesting that a renewed effort could help solve many regional challenges. 

The last summit was scheduled in Islamabad in 2016 but was called off following the Uri terrorist attack in India, with Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan also withdrawing from participation.

The Nobel laureate also compared Saarc’s stagnation to the success of the European Union, saying the latter had thrived through collaboration.