The cabinet at a meeting held on Monday approved a proposal for ratification of the protocol to implement the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) between Bangladesh and India.
"The ministry of home affairs (MoHA) placed the protocol before the cabinet. The cabinet ratified the protocol to the agreement between Bangladesh and India on the demarcation of the land boundary between the two countries," cabinet secretary Muhammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told journalists after the meeting.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presided over the meeting at the cabinet division of Bangladesh Secretariat on the day.
"Exchange of instruments relating to the LBA and the protocol is expected to take place during the upcoming Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh next month," he said.
He said the historic LBA was signed by the then Bangladesh Prime Minister Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in May, 1974 for exchange of certain enclaves between the two countries.
The Bangladesh government on November 28 in 1974 ratified the deal known as the historic Mujib-Indira agreement in the Jatiya Sangsad through the third amendment to the Constitution, he said.
The cabinet secretary said no effective initiative was taken to this end after the assassination of Bangabandhu in 1975 and there was a necessity for ratification of the LBA by the Indian government.
He said the Indian parliament recently ratified the LBA by bringing an amendment to the Constitution.
In November, 2011, a protocol was signed in Dhaka to implement and make the LBA effective.
The foreign ministers of the two countries inked the protocol in the presence of Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina and Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, the cabinet secretary said.
With the ratification of the protocol, the LBA could be implemented now.
Under a provision of the protocol, Bangladesh would get the enclaves that are situated in Bangladesh and India would get the enclaves that exist in India.
If Indians in Bangladeshi enclaves want to stay there, they will be given Bangladeshi citizenship and if Bangladeshis living in Indian enclaves want to stay, they will be given Indian citizenship, he said adding that the desire of the citizens would get priority.
With the exchange of enclaves Bangladesh would get 10,050.61 acres of more lands from India. Bangladesh would get a total of 111 enclaves having 17,160.63 acres of lands, while India would get 51 enclaves with 7,110 acres of lands, Mr Bhuiyan said.
The number of population in Bangladesh's 111 enclaves is 37,386, while that in 51 Indian enclaves is 14,090.
He said 2267. 88 acres of land adversely possessed by India and 2777.14 acres by Bangladesh will be exchanged following the ratification of the agreement.
Under the protocol, people living in Dahagram-Angurpota could move through Tinbigha Corridor in the Indian Territory as it will remain open round-the-clock every day, he added.
About the undemarcated 6.50 kilometres of land boundary with India, Mr Bhuiyan said the issue will also be resolved following the approval of the protocol as the mother agreement and subsequent protocol would now finally be signed by Bangladesh and India.
The council of ministers also gave approval to the draft proposals of Defence Services (Supreme Command) Law, 2015 and Defence Services (Amendment) Law, 2015.
It will now go to the ministry of law, justice and parliamentary affairs for vetting.
The cabinet secretary said the original laws were promulgated as ordinances during the martial law regime in 1978 which were needed to be drafted in Bangla with necessary amendment as per an earlier decision of the cabinet.
The council of ministers was also apprised of the visit of state minister for foreign affairs M Shahriar Alam to Oman from April 4-6 last.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com
