They see cross-border conflict and lack of political will as a barrier to balanced development in the region, despite a huge economic potentiality.

They also called for a common passport and removal of the sense of distrust among the nations.

The roundtable on Towards a New South Asia: Working out Strategies was jointly organised by Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad (BUP), Indian Social Institute (ISI), Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) of Pakistan, NGO Federation of Nepal and Action Aid International.

President of the Bangladesh Economic Association (BEA) Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, also the BUP chairman, said, "Country-wise economic growth is not enough, its benefit should be equally distributed among all the countries of the region."

"We want to achieve socio-economic equality among the countries of the region so that their people may enjoy the fruit without any discrimination," he added.

The delegations from India, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh who represented the Imagine a New South Asia (INSA), a broad-based citizens' initiative consisting of all the member countries of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (Saarc), took part in the roundtable.

The INSA seeks to promote the vision of a peaceful, prosperous, just and democratic South Asia. This initiative is planned as a broad-based process that would work with the existing networks, regional alliances and initiatives and campaigns.

Terming South Asia a region of conflict, Jimmy Dhabi, focal person of the INSA, India, said peace cannot not be established without justice.

"INSA is not comparable to European Union or something like that. But it will work for humanism in the region," he said, adding that they would work together to minimise the socio-economic discrimination and fundamentalism in the region.

Evolving the idea of a common parliament in the region, Naveed Quamar, former finance minister of Pakistan, said, "The South Asian region can form a parliament that would represent equally. Any legislation or policy could be made by this parliament."

Abid Suleri, focal person of INSA, Pakistan, said poverty in the region can be removed through utilising the amount of money India and Pakistan now spend to purchase weapons of war for so-called security concern.

Suleri pointed to the fact that the expenditure of billions of dollars by the two arch rival countries for collecting tanks is ultimately meant for human destruction, not for saving the people in the region.

About 80 percent people in the South Asian region, an abode of 40 percent of the global population, live on an income of below $2, Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, who is also the chair of INSA, informed the roundtable.

The INSA would move forward with its campaign to free the South Asia from poverty and all other socio-economic discriminations, he said, adding that the INSA plans awareness programme through organising freedom festival in all the countries in the region, which would have representation from social levels.

Netra Timsina, focal person of INSA, Nepal, Asgar Ali Sabri, acting country director, Action Aid, Bangladesh, and Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, policy coordinator, Action Aid, South Asia, were present at the meeting.