Iftekhar said this at a roundtable titled 'Expectations from the 14th Saarc Summit' organised by South Asian Free Media Association (Safma) at the Press Club yesterday.

Indian Deputy High Commissioner to Dhaka, Sarvajit Chakravarti, said people and transport connectivity would be the main theme for the 14th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit to be held in New Delhi next week.

"For the Safta commitments to fully translate into real gains for businessmen, entrepreneurs and ultimately consumers across South Asia, all forms of non-tariff and para-tariff barriers have to be dismantled," Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury said.

He said many goods from Saarc countries cannot reach each other's markets because "of a range of difficulties they meet on account of harmonisation of measurement, standards, [and] testing quality."

"To a considerable measure, our exporters quite often experience such difficulties with our largest trading partner in South Asia, i.e. India," he said, adding, that ensuring equitable distribution of benefits and opportunities is a central prerequisite for integrating South Asian nations.

Iftekhar said connectivity is crucial to facilitate trade among Saarc member states and is required to move on to a deeper cooperation such as a Saarc Customs Union or an Economic Union.

He said a Saarc Regional Multi-modal Transport Study (SRMTS) has already been conducted, but implementation of its recommendations would depend on national 'priorities and ground realities'.

But, Iftekhar reminded that the "Cardinal principle is of course mutuality of interests of the countries concerned."

He also said a common regional identity is required to move forward on more 'hardcore areas' such as trade and energy.

The adviser emphasised the need to build on commitments to cooperate on environmental issues made at the 13th Saarc Summit in Dhaka last year.

Iftekhar also said Bangladesh would go to the upcoming Delhi summit with a view to 'redouble efforts' to meet the 22 Saarc Development Goals outlined at the last summit.

Keynote speaker at the roundtable, Abul Ahsan, the first secretary-general of the Saarc secretariat, said South Asian regional trade figures are dismal and need to be addressed through more dynamic policies regarding investment and broadening markets.

He also said that currently the Saarc Secretariat serves merely as a "post office to serve as a custodian of files and documents," and it needs to be truly independent by recruiting separately from the foreign ministries and be empowered to make policy proposals.

High Commissioner of Pakistan, Alamgir Bashar Khan Babar, said sovereign equality and equal benefits are the basic principles of Saarc and these need to be readdressed in the next summit.

Sri Lankan High Commissioner V Krishnamoorthy, and the Afghanistan and Nepalese Charge d'Affaires were also present at the roundtable.

Safma President Reazuddin Ahmed, Vice-president and Editor of Bangladesh Observer Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury and Safma General-Secretary Zahiduzzaman Farouque represented Safma.

Former ERD secretary Mashiur Rahman, Independent University Bangladesh Vice-Chancellor Bazlul Mobin Chowdhury, Dhaka University Teachers' Association President Sadrul Amin, The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha Chief Editor Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury, Bhorer Kagoj Editor Shyamol Dutta and Alamgir Mahiuddin, editor of Naya Diganta also spoke on the occasion.