On the other two, Nepal PM Sushil Koirala announced at the closing ceremony that transport ministers have been asked to work out details within three months.

“The leaders took note of the progress on finalisation of SAARC Motor Vehicles Agreement for regulation of passenger and cargo vehicular traffic and SAARC Regional Agreement on Railways,” he said.

Another significant development was that the Summit would be held after two years as against the earlier agreement of its annual periodicity with a caveat that it could be held earlier. In any case, while SAARC was established 29 years ago, the Nepal meet was only the 18th Summit.

Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif announced that Islamabad would host the next edition in 2016. “We have agreed to hold henceforth the meetings of the SAARC Summit every two years, or earlier; the Council of Ministers once a year, the Standing Committee at least once a year, and the Programming Committee at least twice a year. We have also agreed to make the Programming Committee a charter body of SAARC’’ Nepal PM said.

The 36-point Kathmandu Declaration talked about engaging the 9-SAARC Observers into “productive, demand-driven and objective project based cooperation in priority areas identified by the member-states”, clearly a concession to those states advocating greater role for Observers. The major elements of the Kathmandu Declaration include: Accelerating the process of creating free trade in the region; formulation and implementation of projects, programmes and activities of SAARC in a prioritized, focused and result-oriented manner; launching regional and sub-regional projects in the agreed areas of cooperation, especially in the area of poverty alleviation, infrastructure building, connectivity and energy; strengthening SAARC Development Fund and effective implementation of the SAARC Action Plan on Poverty Alleviation with a view to making South Asian free from poverty and hunger.

Other elements of the declaration are: enhancing regional connectivity through building and upgrading roads, railways, waterways infrastructure, energy grids, communications and air links; utilizing the youth power for socio-economic development, especially through creation of job opportunities at home and building collective positions for their security and welfare while on employment outside the region; combating terrorism and having effective cooperation among the member states to prevent trafficking in persons, arms and drugs and exploitation of children for forced labour; increasing agricultural productivity and ensuring food and nutritional security; providing quality education, eliminating illiteracy, providing vocational education and training; and making South Asia an attractive common tourist destination by promoting public-private partnership.