The ministerial meeting for finalisation of SAARC Motor Vehicle Agreement and Regional Railway Agreement will be held in February.
The SAARC secretariat has sent a letter to all member states to discuss the agreements and finalise the texts at the meeting to be held at Kathmandu on February 15 and 16, said a foreign ministry official.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader told the Dhaka Tribune that the government had already received the SAARC secretariat letter and if all ministers attended the meeting he would also attended.
He said the meeting could be held at the minister level or the secretary level.
A foreign ministry official said the agreement was supposed to be signed at the 18th SAARC summit in Kathmandu in November 2014, but due to strong opposition from Pakistan, it didn't happen.
At the summit, it was decided that the transport ministers of all the countries would meet by February 2015 and finalise the text.
He said the situation and perspective are completely different from 2014 and it is expected that it would be finalised in the February meeting.
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal have already signed BBIN motor vehicle agreement while Pakistan has to change their attitude over regional cooperation as it is going to host 19th SAARC summit, he said.
“The host country has a lot of responsibilities and it would put Pakistan into awkward situation, if they oppose the agreement,” he added.
He said Bangladesh was going to change some amendments in the motor vehicle agreement.
Bangladesh feels that the transit clause of the agreement should be more comprehensive and going to propose a new clause for consideration, the official said.
It also wants to change in the vehicle origin clause as it would create complexities when it will be implemented, he said.
According the draft text, vehicle manufactured in the SAARC countries can only ply from one country to another in the region.
The official said in Bangladesh most of the vehicles are Japan-made and if those are not allowed for cross-border, then it would create problem for Bangladesh.
In Bangladesh, Progati assembled cars while there is a number car manufacturing companies in India and Pakistan.
Bangladesh will propose some minor changes in the terms of the agreement, he said.
In the case of the railway agreement, Bangladesh is happy with the current one, he said adding, if other countries agree, Dhaka would sign it keeping it unchanged.
The two agreements will be signed at the 19th SAARC meeting to be held in Islamabad later in 2016.
The agreements were finalized at the expert level meeting held in India in September 2014.
A meeting was scheduled in the following October in that year, when the transport ministers were supposed to approve and send it to the SAARC Summit that was scheduled to be held in November 2014.
But, the transport ministers meeting could not take place and eventually, it was placed at the summit meeting for signing.
Pakistan opposed it saying there was procedural flaw in submitting the agreements for signing at the summit meeting.