ISLAMABAD, Dec 1: The Saarc member states have to develop an Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) infrastructure on a par with the standards set by rest of the world.

This was stated by the ministry of information technology member telecom, Nooruddin Baqai, in his inaugural speech at the Saarc moot on transport and communication, which started here on Monday. This is the third meeting of the Saarc technical committee on communication and transport.

The member telecom said communication in all its forms was among the most important areas of economic infrastructure in Saarc region.

The areas of communication and transport deserve urgent attention of policy-makers in order to develop strategies for cooperation to accelerate development, he added.

Saarc member states should also redouble their efforts to catch up with the comparable economies and increase their efforts to become meaningful ICT economic power, he said.

On the occasion, Saarc Secretariat director P.B. Shah said the aim of the technical committee was to explore ways to promote cooperation in the enhancement of telecommunication links and effective utilization of information technologies within the Saarc region.

“We have to minimize disparities within and among the member states in the transport and communication sectors,” he added.

He hoped that recommendations of the ongoing moot would help the heads of states in the Saarc region in formulating policies to achieve these objectives.

The two-day moot is expected to discuss ways and means to enhance bilateral cooperation among the member countries in the fields of transport and communication.

The recommendations of the committee would be put forward for formal approval to the 12th Saarc Summit to be held in Islamabad next month.

Besides Pakistan’s delegation, 12 delegates from the remaining six member countries are attending the meeting. India’s delegation that includes five officials has the largest representation among the visiting delegates followed by two delegates each from Nepal and the Maldives and one each from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bhutan.

Saarc Secretariat director P.B. Shah and Kumar Shrestha, special assistant to Saarc secretary-general, are also among the participants.

During the five working sessions, the Saarc member states would review progress in implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the past two meetings of the committee held in Colombo (1998) and Islamabad (September 2002), respectively.

The two-day deliberations would also include a review of accounting rates and reduction of collection charges among Saarc countries, updating of a study undertaken for transit facilities, consideration of a revised plan of action on telecommunications and cooperation with regional, international and non-governmental organizations in the field of telecommunications.

It will also deliberate on common Saarc position for submission at the three-day World Summit on Information Technology to be held in on December 10, 2003. It will also review past activities and decisions of the committee on postal services, status of implementation of the study on postal transit facilities and preparations for organizing a workshop on quality management and customer care in postal system to be held in Islamabad on December 17, 2003.