India, Dec. 11 -- Pakistan has renewed efforts to reshape South Asian regional cooperation with a proposal that would expand its trilateral initiative with Bangladesh and China into a wider multilateral grouping. This grouping, could potentially function as an alternative to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), but without India.

Pakistan's remarks comes amid heightened tensions between the neighbours.

However, as per analysts, Islamabad's plan is unlikely to gain traction without India, whose economic and strategic weight continues to anchor the South Asian region.

Deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar said last week that Islamabad aims to "expand and replicate" the trilateral mechanism launched...