The first seven countries to join the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) were Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The first SAARC summit was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh on December 7–8, 1985.
The idea for SAARC was first proposed by Bangladesh's former president, Ziaur Rahman, in a letter to other South Asian governments in May 1980. The leaders of the region adopted the Declaration on South Asian Regional Cooperation in New Delhi, India in August 1983.
Afghanistan joined SAARC as the eighth member in 2007.