ISLAMABAD, April 6: The minister for environment, Shahida Jamil, has emphasized the need for active collaboration among Saarc member countries in efforts to preserve the environment.

The minister was talking with Saarc secretary-general Q.A.M.A. Rahim.

The two leaders agreed that the member countries must set aside their political differences for the common good of more than 1.5b people who were faced with the worst kind of environmental hazards due to a lack of awareness.

Saarc, they said, was the best available forum to counter such problems because, they observed, the entire region had similar problems.