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ISLAMABAD, April 8 (AFP) - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf called on South Asian countries Monday to boost regional trade at the opening of a two-day finance ministers' conference on poverty reduction.

"Trade among the SAARC countries is less than five percent. We have to perform better to reduce poverty," Musharraf told the third meeting of finance and planning ministers from the seven-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

"If we continue to fall behind in the present decade as we did in the last, we will be worsening the poverty profile of our region."

SAARC groups Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Ministers have said they expect to evolve a joint strategy to fight poverty in the region where almost half of the world's poor live.

One of the main obstacles to enhanced trade in the region is the military standoff between India and Pakistan over the divided Himalayan state of Kashmir.

Both countries have had their armies mobilised along the border since December, when New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based Islamic militants for an attack on the Indian parliament.

Pakistani Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz said that out of a total population of 1.4 billion people in SAARC countries, 550 million could be considered to be poor.

He echoed Musharraf's warning and said concerted efforts were required to boost trade and economic ties between the member states.

"If South Asia does not make special efforts to strengthen its economic ties, it is feared that this region will be completely sidelined in the world trading system and the poor in the region will remain deprived of even the basic minimum," he said in his opening speech.

He said poverty needed to be seen not just in terms of personal income, but also in regard to human rights, education, health and justice.

"A region where some live in comfort and plenty, while 40 percent of the region's population live in abject poverty, is neither just nor acceptable," Aziz said.

"South Asia is falling behind the rest of the world in fighting poverty." 

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