Which of the following countries is not a member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)?

Introduction / Context:
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, abbreviated as SAARC, is an important regional organisation that promotes economic and cultural cooperation among South Asian countries. General knowledge questions often ask candidates to identify which countries are members and which are not. This item specifically tests whether the learner can pick out a non member country from a list of South Asian and nearby states.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The organisation named is SAARC.
• Four countries are listed: Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Bhutan, and Myanmar.
• Three of these countries are recognised SAARC members.
• We assume that the candidate has at least a basic list of SAARC member states in mind.

Concept / Approach:
SAARC currently includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Myanmar, although geographically close to South Asia and a member of ASEAN, is not part of SAARC. Therefore, the approach is to mentally list all SAARC members and then see which option lies outside that group. The only state in the options that is not in the SAARC membership list is Myanmar.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall the full membership of SAARC: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.Step 2: Compare each of the options with this list.Step 3: Identify that Bangladesh is clearly a founding SAARC member.Step 4: Observe that Afghanistan joined SAARC later but is now a recognised member.Step 5: Note that Bhutan is also a member of SAARC.Step 6: Recognise that Myanmar is not included in the SAARC members list, which makes it the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
A quick verification method is to remember that Myanmar is part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations rather than SAARC. In contrast, news about SAARC summits repeatedly mentions countries such as India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, and Afghanistan, but not Myanmar. This clear separation between South Asian and Southeast Asian regional groupings supports the conclusion that Myanmar is not a SAARC member.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A, Bangladesh, is wrong because Bangladesh is one of the founding members of SAARC.Option B, Afghanistan, is wrong since Afghanistan was admitted to SAARC and is now part of the organisation.Option C, Bhutan, is wrong because Bhutan is also a recognised SAARC member and regularly participates in SAARC meetings.

Common Pitfalls:
Students often confuse membership lists of neighbouring regional organisations such as SAARC and ASEAN. They may think of Myanmar as a South Asian country due to geographic proximity and therefore mistakenly include it in SAARC. Another pitfall is to forget that Afghanistan, though sometimes grouped in Central Asia, is indeed a SAARC member. Careful study of regional organisations and their member lists can prevent these errors in the exam.

Final Answer:
Myanmar