Saarc members must find way around roadblocks

India’s trade agreements with Nepal and Bhutan, which include hydroelectric power projects, and its contemplation of Cross-Border Electricity Trade (“CBET”) with Sri Lanka in 2025 are exemplars of transboundary trade in energy. As blocs like Asean and BIMSTEC have proven themselves to be better in their approaches than Saarc, the member countries of Saarc should focus upon persuading other members to establish bilateral and trilateral free-trade agreements among themselves in order to give up on imposing para-tariffs on each other.