India may push for Motor Vehicles pact at BIMSTEC meet

PANAJI: The Modi government's effort to give shape to a regional mechanism without Pakistan will prompt India to push for a Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA) to ensure effective connectivity among South Asian and South East Asian nations following Islamabad’s intransigence.

The Goa summit on October 16 could unveil a roadmap for regional MVA connecting South Asia and Southeast Asia, persons familiar with the developments indicated to ET.

As the Modi government aims to reshape SAARC, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation ( BIMSTEC) leaders meet in Goa is hoping to adopt a declaration on countering international and cross-border terror, especially after the recent Uri attacks.

With Pakistan blocking most of the counter-terror initiatives by the SAARC, India is now set to rely on the BIMSTEC to boost regional cooperation against such a menace.

PM Modi will on Sunday call upon the leaders of the BIMSTEC nations to fast-track implementation of regional initiatives to combat terrorism. Modi would call for early ratification of the BIMSTEC Convention on Cooperation in combating International Terrorism, Trans-National Organized Crime and Illicit Drug Trafficking.

He would stress on early commencement of negotiations on the BIMSTEC convention on extradition. Delhi will also seek early implementation of the BRICS convention on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.

The SAARC also adopted a Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters almost eight years back.

But it is yet to come into force as Pakistan did not ratify the 2008 convention. Pakistan also blocked establishment of the SAARC Terrorist Offences Monitoring Desk and the SAARC Drug Offences Monitoring Desk. What was initially conceived at a BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach meet in Goa following the BRICS Summit will now feature a standalone BIMSTEC leaders’ interAaction chaired by India.