Mutuality in Indo-Bangladesh relations
Saturday, 9 October 2010
People of Bangladesh and India should both want that the relationship of the two countries to only go on improving in all respects. There is a great deal of expectation and rightly so in both countries about the need to interact much more in economic matters for mutual benefits. Such good neighbourliness and greater economic interactions can bloom if both sides are motivated by a genuine spirit of give and take or one side responding in equal measure to a good gesture from the other.
Our Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina visited India from January 10 to 14 and a Bangladesh-India Joint Statement was issued on the occasion. The visit resulted in a number of agreements with India. In fact, it led to Bangladesh agreeing to major requests from India including that of the transshipment of Indian goods through Bangladesh territories. Recently, the Indian Finance Minister came to Dhaka and signed a loan agreement. And a substantial part of this loaned amount will be meant for upgrading transportational infrastructures in Bangladesh. That will also facilitate smooth transshipment of Indian cargoes. Bangladesh has also reportedly been handing over to India terrorists or the likes of them of Indian origin who were caught here.
Bangladesh would expect India to do the needful sooner rather than later in order to help remove this country’s legitimate concern over long-standing bilateral issues with India. The signing of a formal agreement on sharing of the waters of the Teesta river was discussed during the PM’s visit to India. But it did not yet materialise in any tangible form. It is still not certain when it will be ever signed.
The PM received apparently strong assurances from the Indian leadership during her visit that the Tipaimukh dam would not be built. But now, news has been received credibly from Indian sources that the Indian authorities are taking some concrete steps to start work on the Tipaimukh dam and building other projects to divert water from the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers. Such developments, if these are true, do not conform to what India promised them. Even in the allowing of corridors to Nepalese and Bhutanse goods to reach Bangladesh and vice versa, Indian authorities should do the needful.
The people of Bangladesh would expect to keep the commitments that it made to help Indo-Bangladesh relations in a win-win situation.
S M Murshed
Dhaka University Staff Quarters
Nilkhet
Dhaka
Our Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina visited India from January 10 to 14 and a Bangladesh-India Joint Statement was issued on the occasion. The visit resulted in a number of agreements with India. In fact, it led to Bangladesh agreeing to major requests from India including that of the transshipment of Indian goods through Bangladesh territories. Recently, the Indian Finance Minister came to Dhaka and signed a loan agreement. And a substantial part of this loaned amount will be meant for upgrading transportational infrastructures in Bangladesh. That will also facilitate smooth transshipment of Indian cargoes. Bangladesh has also reportedly been handing over to India terrorists or the likes of them of Indian origin who were caught here.
Bangladesh would expect India to do the needful sooner rather than later in order to help remove this country’s legitimate concern over long-standing bilateral issues with India. The signing of a formal agreement on sharing of the waters of the Teesta river was discussed during the PM’s visit to India. But it did not yet materialise in any tangible form. It is still not certain when it will be ever signed.
The PM received apparently strong assurances from the Indian leadership during her visit that the Tipaimukh dam would not be built. But now, news has been received credibly from Indian sources that the Indian authorities are taking some concrete steps to start work on the Tipaimukh dam and building other projects to divert water from the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers. Such developments, if these are true, do not conform to what India promised them. Even in the allowing of corridors to Nepalese and Bhutanse goods to reach Bangladesh and vice versa, Indian authorities should do the needful.
The people of Bangladesh would expect to keep the commitments that it made to help Indo-Bangladesh relations in a win-win situation.
S M Murshed
Dhaka University Staff Quarters
Nilkhet
Dhaka