Dr Rizvi for prompter Indian steps to remove irritants with Dhaka
Sunday, 23 December 2012
KOLKATA, Dec 22 (BSS): Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina's International Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi has urged India to take prompter steps to remove irritants in its ties with Dhaka fearing the long outstanding issues could expose to difficulties bilateral cooperation for mutual benefit.
"One cloud hangs over our bilateral relation . . . the failure to sign the Teesta agreement during Indian Prime Minister (Dr Manmohan Singh)'s visit to Dhaka has been a disappointment to both sides," Rizvi said as the keynote speaker at the Sarat Bose Memorial Lecture at the Netaji Bhawan in West Bengal capital.
He said the negative impact of the failure to ink the Teesta deal reignited "popular suspicions" against India alongside causing a backlash against the incumbent government in Bangladesh and slowdown the progress of connectivity.
Rizvi pointed out cross border violence and to "achieve complete elimination of border killing" as another issue of great importance which "we will need to think out side the box and conventional parameters".
"Most of killing results from illegal cattle trade. One solution would be to allow cattle to be traded in border hats," he said.
Rizvi, an international relations expert who taught in Harvard and Oxford for years, was invited by the Kolkata University to speak on Transforming Bangladesh -India Relations:
A Paradigm Shift in Sub- regional Cooperation.
"The cost of missed opportunities and future consequences are too frightening to imagine," he warned and added that India should pay immediate attention also to ratify the Land Boundary Agreement for enclave exchanges and boundary demarcations with Bangladesh alongside signing the water sharing agreements.
Rizvi said the incumbent Bangladesh premier opened up avenues for cooperation and development that was unimaginable four years ago as she also managed to gain a bipartisan "consensus" for her India policy.
"Despite earlier attacks on her (India) policy Shiekh Hasina has secured a consensus for her India policy. Even the opposition leader (Begum Khaleda Zia) eschewed her hostility to India and came to support the policy," he said.
Dr. Rizvi said the benefit of improved bilateral relation now manifested in a number of ways causing radical shifts in Indian policy with enormously positive consequences for both countries.
"India has for the first time agreed to trilateral cooperation in water resources management - Bangladesh, India, Bhutan, Nepal that has already opened up new vistas for cooperation in joint power projects, water sharing, overland transport and power grids," he said.
He added: "This probably is one of the most significant developments in Indo- Bangla relations but ironically the analysts on both sides have all but ignored it."
Rizvi, however, acknowledged with high regard India's generosity and its determination to assist Bangladeshi developmental aspirations offering US$1 billion as soft loan.
Professor Sugata Bose, grand son of Sarat Chandra and a Harvard colleague introduced Rizvi as a rare academic - administrator who excel in both the fields making a distinct mark.
"One cloud hangs over our bilateral relation . . . the failure to sign the Teesta agreement during Indian Prime Minister (Dr Manmohan Singh)'s visit to Dhaka has been a disappointment to both sides," Rizvi said as the keynote speaker at the Sarat Bose Memorial Lecture at the Netaji Bhawan in West Bengal capital.
He said the negative impact of the failure to ink the Teesta deal reignited "popular suspicions" against India alongside causing a backlash against the incumbent government in Bangladesh and slowdown the progress of connectivity.
Rizvi pointed out cross border violence and to "achieve complete elimination of border killing" as another issue of great importance which "we will need to think out side the box and conventional parameters".
"Most of killing results from illegal cattle trade. One solution would be to allow cattle to be traded in border hats," he said.
Rizvi, an international relations expert who taught in Harvard and Oxford for years, was invited by the Kolkata University to speak on Transforming Bangladesh -India Relations:
A Paradigm Shift in Sub- regional Cooperation.
"The cost of missed opportunities and future consequences are too frightening to imagine," he warned and added that India should pay immediate attention also to ratify the Land Boundary Agreement for enclave exchanges and boundary demarcations with Bangladesh alongside signing the water sharing agreements.
Rizvi said the incumbent Bangladesh premier opened up avenues for cooperation and development that was unimaginable four years ago as she also managed to gain a bipartisan "consensus" for her India policy.
"Despite earlier attacks on her (India) policy Shiekh Hasina has secured a consensus for her India policy. Even the opposition leader (Begum Khaleda Zia) eschewed her hostility to India and came to support the policy," he said.
Dr. Rizvi said the benefit of improved bilateral relation now manifested in a number of ways causing radical shifts in Indian policy with enormously positive consequences for both countries.
"India has for the first time agreed to trilateral cooperation in water resources management - Bangladesh, India, Bhutan, Nepal that has already opened up new vistas for cooperation in joint power projects, water sharing, overland transport and power grids," he said.
He added: "This probably is one of the most significant developments in Indo- Bangla relations but ironically the analysts on both sides have all but ignored it."
Rizvi, however, acknowledged with high regard India's generosity and its determination to assist Bangladeshi developmental aspirations offering US$1 billion as soft loan.
Professor Sugata Bose, grand son of Sarat Chandra and a Harvard colleague introduced Rizvi as a rare academic - administrator who excel in both the fields making a distinct mark.