Saarc nations need to remove trade barriers: Tofail

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed on Thursday said the Saarc countries should make a tangible progress in tariff concessions and removal of other trade barriers faster to turn Saarc into an effective trade block.  “Unless it’s done, the dream of Safta (South Asia Free Trade Area) to be a free trade area will remain a far cry,” he said. The Commerce Minister made the call while addressing the eighth meeting of the Safta ministerial council in Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan, according to a message received in Dhaka. Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay inaugurated the meeting, which was attended by Commerce Ministers, State Ministers and representatives from the Saarc countries, according to a news agency.