SAARC: Follow APEC, not NAFTA

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Despite much enthusiasm on the part of some regional leaders and policy analysts, the creation of a discriminatory trade bloc in the region, dubbed the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA), along the lines of the NAFTA will be a mistake. The region's interests will be served by following the APEC model which calls for full adherence to the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) principle and, hence, nondiscrimination in trade policy.