The correct answer is option (3) - A-I, B-II, C-III, D-IV
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is a major regional initiative by the South Asian states to evolve cooperation through multilateral means. It began in 1985. The first Summit of SAARC was held in Dhaka. Members of SAARC- Maldives, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Nepal.
The South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) is an agreement among the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member countries to promote regional trade and economic cooperation. The SAFTA Agreement was signed in 2004 and came into effect on 1 January 2006. SAFTA aims at lowering trade tariffs.
1987: Indo-Sri Lanka Accord; Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) operation in Sri Lanka (1987-90). On July 29, 1987, in Colombo, an important agreement was reached between Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President J R Jayewardene. This historic accord aimed to facilitate the resolution of the Sri Lankan civil war and led to the deployment of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka.
The king accepted the demand for a new democratic constitution in 1990, in the wake of a strong pro-democracy movement. However, democratic governments had a short and troubled career. During the nineties, the Maoists of Nepal were successful in spreading their influence in many parts of Nepal. They believed in armed insurrection against the monarch and the ruling elite. This led to a violent conflict between the Maoist guerrillas and the armed forces of the king. For some time, there was a triangular conflict among the monarchist forces, the democrats and the Maoists. In 2002, the king abolished the parliament and dismissed the government, thus ending even the limited democracy that existed in Nepal. In April 2006, there were massive, countrywide, pro-democracy protests in Nepal. The struggling pro-democracy forces achieved their first major victory when the king was forced to restore the House of Representatives that had been dissolved in April 2002. The largely non-violent movement was led by the Seven Party Alliance (SPA), the Maoists and social activists. |
