Despite the risk of losing the opportunity of huge economic benefit from the Asian Highway, the government is determined not to join the giant road network unless the proposal for including an alternative road through Myanmar is accepted.
Deadline for signing the agreement on UN sponsored Asian Highway is December 31.
In the existing map of the Asian Highway that will connect 32 Asian countries with Europe, two roads enter into Bangladesh from Benapole and Banglabandha and exit through Tamabil in Sylhet, making both entry and exit points with India.
Bangladesh wants inclusion of the proposed Dhaka-Myanmar direct road via Cox's Bazar to be included in the Asian Highway route.
Dhaka will not sign the agreement unless the proposal for changing the highway route is accepted, Communications Minister Nazmul Huda categorically said.
Earlier, a cabinet meeting also took the position against joining the giant road network.
The four-party alliance government will not join the network during this term as it thinks the highway with the existing route will turn to be a transit to India, highly placed sources in the government said.
Not giving transit to India was one of the major commitments to the voters during the campaign of the last election that brought the alliance to power and joining the highway and giving transit to India may have a negative effect in the upcoming general elections, said a cabinet minister requesting anonymity.
Several experts, however, are of the view that joining the highway does not mean giving transit to any country.
Foreign investors will hesitate to invest in Bangladesh if it does not have road connections with the neighbours, they said.
According to the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Escap)
Convention on the highway, transport of goods and people will require separate agreements after establishing the network.
If a country has reservations about allowing goods of any particular country through its territory, it has every right not to sign agreement on transport of goods with that country, said former Escap director Dr Rahmatullah.
He earlier told The Daily Star that the government should join the network first and then submit the proposal for bringing amendment to the road map. Otherwise, the country would lose the right to vote in the future Escap working group meetings, he added.
President of apex chamber body Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Mir Nasir Hossain said the government should rethink about joining the Asian Highway, as negative decision in this regard will deprive the country of huge economic benefit from the giant road network.
"The transportation of goods by road is much cheaper than by ship and such a road network would increase the connectivity and movement of our export and import goods," he observed.
But the route through Myanmar would be much better for Bangladesh than the other route, he added.
The government should rethink the matter carefully so that the situation does not repeat like the cases of submarine cables network or Bimstec where Bangladesh signed the agreement much later, outgoing president of Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) Kutubuddin Ahmed said.
He also spoke in favour of signing the agreement first so the government can try to bring necessary amendments to the road map.
The MCCI president, however, said the route through Myanmar would be beneficial for the country, as it would connect China by road, making Chinese goods available at much cheaper price.
