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South Asia has a reasonable share of international rivers that make countries mutually dependent for its management. Hence, regional cooperation becomes indispensable to harness the potential of cross-border rivers. With this backdrop, the research paper examines the role of The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), as a common regional platform, in the management of transboundary rivers in South Asia. The paper further analyzes the adaptability of the Indus river management regime. It has been noticed that the participation of basin countries undermined in the management regime. The article recommends that a multilateral institutional mechanism is necessary for the effective and enduring solution for the management of the transboundary rivers in South Asia. The study is based on secondary data and hence, qualitative. The study accentuates the inevitability of the Chinese role and suggests its partial inclusion in the South Asian transboundary river management framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]