Cutting Indo-Bangla trade barriers emphasised

Speakers at a roundtable in the city on Thursday said that India should reduce the obstacles that hamper trade and relations between the two countries.
They said India should take measures to give the due share of water, stop border killing and remove trade barriers.
Former commerce minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury while addressing the roundtable at the National Press Club urged the government to take measures to realise the due share of water from common rivers and reduce the trade gap between the two countries.
"India always speaks about removing trade barriers but never implements the decisions," Mr Chowdhury added.
Former army chief Lt Gen (Retd) Mahbubur Rahman, also standing committee member of BNP, said that the government was trying its best to give India the transit facilities to transport goods.  
Liberty Bangladesh, a private think-tank, organised the roundtable on "Bangladesh-India Relation: Crisis of Security" attended by a number of professionals including intellectuals, politicians, social workers, journalists and teachers.
Senior journalist Sadeq Khan presented the keynote paper on the subject while Prof Emazuddin Ahmed, former Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University, presided over the conference.
In his paper Sadeq dwelt on the long history of India-Bangladesh relations, their constraints and issues of mutual interests.
India's role in world politics, as a regional power and member of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) was also highlighted in his paper.
Terming the present politics a poisonous weapon that vitiates the whole environment, Dr Emazuddin Ahmed urged all to practise the self-righteous politics.
"National unity and economic progress will never be achieved unless this noxious politics is addressed accordingly," he added.
The conference was addressed, among others, by former foreign secretary Enam Ahmed Chowdhury, Gono-Shastha founder Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, DU professor Dr Sukumal Barua and Naya Diganta Editor Alamgir Mohiuddin and DUJ president Abdul Hai Sikder.     

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