India-Bangladesh relations

[ppgj]

Hasina, Manmohan at the ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhawan

diplomacy: bangladesh

The Fish Swims Upriver

The India-Bangladesh bonhomie is warmed by solid quid pro quo

Pranay Sharma

India’s gains:

* Gets access to Chittagong and other Bangladeshi ports for movement of its goods and other materials
* A clear determination from Dhaka that Bangladesh will not allow “anti-Indian forces” to operate from its soil
* Project its friendship with Bangladesh to show that India can be generous to those who take care of its interests
* Puts in place a framework for close cooperation in all spheres that will not be subject to the vagaries of political change in Dhaka

Bangladesh’s gains:

* The first country ever to receive a billion-dollar line of credit from India for infrastructure development
* An assured supply of 250 MW of power from India
* Work on the Tipaikukh dam project to be carried out in a way that it doesn’t harm Bangladesh’s interest

***

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh isn’t in the habit of talking about himself. But, on Monday evening at New Delhi’s Hyderabad House, he told his Bangladeshi counterpart, Sheikh Hasina, seated across the table, “Excellency, it is I who had co-authored the report on Bangladesh’s reconstruction in 1972.” That report had laid out a blueprint for reconstruction of a war-ravaged country born only a year ago. Manmohan’s recollection was meant to assure Hasina and her delegation that he was just the person who would appreciate Bangladesh’s pressing need for development. This awareness, as Manmohan stressed, arose from India according “highest priority” to its relations with Bangladesh, ready to be a “full and equal partner” in Hasina’s attempt to realise her vision of social change and economic development for her country.

Touched, Hasina recalled India’s “unflinching” support to Bangladesh during its liberation struggle and in the early years of its freedom. These exchanges between Manmohan and Hasina, political as well as sentimental, were reminiscent of the relationship India and Bangladesh had once shared—trustful and aglow with warmth, a veritable entwining of two destinies. Between those early years and January 2010, successive regimes in Dhaka, either military or right-wing Islamists, typically portrayed India as the neighbourhood bully contemptuous of Bangladesh. They stoked anti-India sentiments and provided shelter to any militant group wanting to wage battle against New Delhi.

Sheikh Hasina’s visit (January 11-13) has been hailed as a harbinger of new times or a return to those early days of camaraderie. So, what has changed in India-Bangladesh relations that engenders high optimism? Why are the two keen to strengthen their ties?

Hasina’s landslide win, as well as Bangladesh’s changed internal dynamics, have eased the old India animus.

For one, last year’s election swept Hasina’s Awami League to power with an overwheming majority, decimating her rival, Khaleda Zia, whose coalition government with Islamists had a pronounced anti-India stance. The election verdict was consequently perceived as a mandate to Hasina for improving relations with India. Second, Bangladesh’s internal dynamics brought about a change in the thinking of its leaders. A series of regimes in Bangladesh had either encouraged or were unable to prevent the rise of Islamic fundamentalist and anti-Indian forces there. The ensuing political instability brought socio-economic development to a grinding halt. Rising prices, unemployment, rampant corruption, and the culture of violence alienated people from Khaleda Zia and her allies, and persuaded the ruling elite and opinion-makers that India’s help was required to provide a stable government willing to undertake development work in earnest. Bangladesh foreign minister Dipu Moni told Outlook, “India and Bangladesh are natural partners. What happened in the past few years should be seen as an aberration.”

Known to have a soft corner for India, Hasina couldn’t in her earlier stint strengthen ties since she lacked support in Parliament and outside. Not only did she win a brute majority this time round, but several attempts on her life convinced her that she couldn’t survive—politically or otherwise—unless she countered the Islamist challenge. The quelling of the mutiny by the army in Dhaka last year was an example of her resolve, conveying to all that her government would not tolerate terrorists. Hasina was quick to prove her mettle for New Delhi—four ULFA leaders were handed over to India; Dhaka’s tip-off helped in nabbing terrorists involved in the Bangalore bomb blasts a few years ago; and her government arrested seven Bangladeshi nationals planning to attack the Indian high commissioner in Dhaka. A senior Indian diplomat told Outlook, “These were very important and substantial gestures as they helped in winning over the hardliners in our security establishment who doubted Dhaka’s intentions.”

Hasina’s visit has yielded other gains for India too. It now gets access to the Chittagong port, a privilege it had been asking for decades. This will also enable India to move goods to and from the Northeast faster. A climate is now being created for setting up joint projects for Indian businessmen in Bangladesh.

In a quid quo pro, India has extended a $1 billion line of credit to Bangladesh for developing its infrastructure—the largest amount Delhi has pledged for any country. This should help the Hasina government in convincing its domestic audience that cooperation, not confrontation, with India yields rich dividends. Hasina could cite other examples as well—such as the Indian PM’s promise that India wouldn’t carry out any construction on the Tipaimukh Dam project that some consider inimical to Bangladesh’s interest. Manmohan also agreed a ministerial-level meeting was essential for discussing the issue of sharing waters of the Teesta and other major rivers.

These gains explain Hasina’s buoyant mood. Asked what she takes back to Bangladesh from her visit, Hasina said, “Friendship and cooperation”. She acknowledged strong “anti-Indian” feelings among sections back home, but said they could be weaned away if she could improve the lot of her people. Former Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh Veena Sikri told Outlook, “It’s an indication of how a win-win situation can be worked out for assured prosperity.”

“Anti-India feelings” among some back home can be dispelled if there is good development, feels a buoyant Hasina.

India has chosen to invest heavily in Hasina, acceding to the many items on her wish-list and conferring on her the Indira Gandhi peace award, in recognition of her sacrifice and determination to fight against those who want to destroy the peaceful and pluralistic nature of Bangladesh. Hasina’s visit was given top billing. She met a string of leaders from former PM I.K. Gujral to Sonia Gandhi and Pranab Mukherjee. There was also a subtle stress on the Bengaliness common to both lands. Hasina gifted the famously delicious Padma Hilsa to railway minister Mamata Banerjee, who claimed the fish was cooked and devoured the same evening. The two countries agreed to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore through a series of cultural programmes.

An upbeat Bangladesh foreign secretary, Mohammed Mijarul Quayes, said, “We are looking at both tangible as well as intangible gains in our relationship.” But the rediscovered bonhomie in itself stresses on the need to put in place a framework of relationship that would not be subject to the vagaries of change in government. Indeed, the relationship shouldn’t slip into the grooves of past animosity. This is necessary, as India wants to showcase its ‘new’ relationship with Bangladesh to those in South Asia who view New Delhi with malevolence. India’s eloquent message? Should you look after India’s concern, it will be willing to walk more than half the way.

http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?263804

 

[nandu]

'Bangladesh to take action against Northeast militants'

Agartala: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has assured firm action against militants from Northeast India taking shelter in her country, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said Sunday.

Sarkar was in Dhaka last month to attend Bangladesh's Independence Day celebrations. He met Hasina, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni and leaders of different political parties besides business leaders.

"Sheikh Hasina said the Bangladesh government would take firm action against the Northeast terrorists if they take shelter in Bangladesh. She wanted a list of militant camps set up in her country," Sarkar said.

"However, she said some anti-Bangladesh elements have also taken refuge in Tripura. I categorically told her that we would take action against them if we get a list containing details," he said here.

Sarkar said: "We had offered a joint India-Bangladesh inspection to find out such elements a few years ago. Bangladesh then remained silent."

There are about 25 camps belonging to Tripura militants in Bangladesh, he said.

"After the Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina came to power, we have noticed a change in the situation. The extremists have been cornered but not fully eliminated. Around 25 camps of Tripura militants still exist in Bangladesh and they are trying to increase their strength," Sarkar said.

The Border Security Force (BSF) and other security officials said militants belonging to various rebel groups in the Northeast region have set up about 90 camps in different parts of Bangladesh, specially Sylhet district and Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) bordering India's Tripura, Mizoram and Meghalaya.

According to the police, in 2009 alone about 370 tribal guerrillas of the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) and National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), fled from Bangladesh camps and surrendered to the Indian security forces.

This year, over 30 militants of the two outfits left their Bangladesh camps and have laid down their arms and ammunition.

BSF Inspector-General (Assam-Meghalaya frontier) Prithvi Raj Singh said over phone from Shillong that after the Bangladesh government launched an operation against the Northeast militants last year, the terrorists were shifting base from Bangladesh to Myanmar.

Quoting surrendered United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) militants, the BSF officials said the Northeast Indian guerrillas are now on the run.

"It is quite natural that the extremists look for new pastures to continue their future actions," Singh added.

He, however, hoped that Myanmar, being a friendly neighbour of India, would be able to take action against the northeast militants taking shelter in that country.

http://www.zeenews.com/news618177.html

 

[ajtr]

Chinese Puzzle in India-Bangladesh Relations


Anand Kumar

April 19, 2010
Close on the heels of her visit to India, Bangladesh Prime Minister Shaikh Hasina visited China. Hasina's visit needs to be seen in the context of past attempts by Bangladesh to use China as a counter-balance against India. However, a fundamental difference this time around was the fact that the Hasina government, which came to power in the 2008 elections, is widely perceived as India-friendly. Thus, it is of interest to see what approach this friendly government takes towards China whose growing presence in South Asia has been a cause of discomfort to India.

The significance of China can be gauged from the fact that whether to visit China or India first has been a dilemma faced by every Bangladeshi prime minister. Hasina knew that a visit first to India would give a chance to her detractors to say that she is following a pro-India policy, irrespective of the visit's agenda. The more vociferous ones would even blame her of a sell out, which they eventually did.

A lot of euphoria was created in both India and Bangladesh after Shaikh Hasina's India visit in January 2010. This was not without reason. There were path breaking elements in the joint communiqué and in the agreements signed. Bangladesh's cooperation on counter-terrorism was especially noteworthy. But it is also true that the growing strength of jihadist forces in Bangladesh had created problems for the Awami League itself with many of its leaders becoming victims of jihadist activities. Hasina herself had faced several attacks on her life and she barely survived one of them. Clearly, cooperation on counter-terrorism was equally important for both India and Bangladesh. Still Shaikh Hasina should be congratulated for her cooperation on counter-terrorism and progressive thinking. Her conviction to take a line different from that of her predecessor is admirable.

Progress was also made on the issue of transit, euphemistically referred to as connectivity. Bangladesh agreed to allow the use of Mongla and Chittagong sea ports for movement of goods to and from India by road and rail. It also conveyed its intention to provide Nepal and Bhutan access to these two ports. It was also agreed that the Akhaura-Agartala railway link would be constructed and that it would be financed with a grant from India.

But India's enthusiasm has dampened after Hasina's visit to China, principally because similar transit facilities have been granted to China as well. Bangladesh has sought Chinese assistance in constructing a highway passing through Myanmar to Yunnan province of China. A rail network passing through the same area has also been proposed. And Bangladesh went out of the way to persuade China to further develop and use the Chittagong port and develop a deep sea port at Sonadia Island. A Chinese role in the development of Chittagong is particularly worrisome to India, since it would be similar to China's involvement in the development of Hambantota in southern Sri Lanka and Gwadar in Baluchistan. China reportedly has access to the Myanmar naval base in Hanggyi Island and has established a monitoring station at Coco Island, north of India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Through these ports, China is trying to fulfil two objectives – encircle India as part of its 'string of pearls', and gain other openings to sea.

While Bangladesh says that it is trying to establish an equal relationship between India and China, it is clearly trying to benefit by leveraging its geo-strategic position between Asia's two rising powers. This may be a happy situation for Bangladesh and even for China. But India would not benefit in equal measure. In fact, a Chinese presence in Chittagong would present a major security concern for India.

All major powers – Russia, United States and China – consider certain areas as their backyard. Russia vociferously protested when Americans tried to increase their influence in Central Asia. Similarly, the Chinese watch closely any western move in Southeast Asia and East Asia. China is especially sensitive to any US activity in Taiwan and Taiwan straits. Similarly, few would deny that South Asia is India's backyard. How effectively India manages to keep its influence in this region would determine its future security preparedness.

Bangladesh has been trying to extract a bargain from both India and China to its own advantage. But everything that is advantageous for Bangladesh is not necessarily so for India. The road link and port facility which Bangladesh is offering to China may reduce Chinese dependence on the Malacca Straits. But a Chinese presence in Chittagong will endanger long term Indian security interests. China is a major supplier of defence hardware for Bangladesh. In 2008, Bangladesh set up a missile launch pad near Chittagong Port with assistance from China. These developments are too serious to ignore.

Bangladesh's decision to allow China use of the Chittagong port may pose a major security dilemma for India. It is very difficult to assess the extent to which Chinese engagement with Bangladesh is innocuous and when it would start infringing on important security interests of India. If the growth of Islamic extremism and terrorism in Bangladesh is a threat to Indian security, then the presence of powers with which India's interests have the potential to clash is also of security concern. It is from this perspective that the recent trends in Bangladesh-China relations need to be assessed.

 

[ajtr]

India power deal goes under scanner​

Mon, May 3rd, 2010 5:19 pm BdST
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Dhaka, May 3 (bdnews24.com)--The cabinet has formed a high-powered committee to examine the memorandum for a final agreement on power import from India, a government spokesman said.

Finance minister A M A Muhith, planning minister A K Khandaker and the prime minister's finance adviser Moshiur Rahman will examine and finalise the process of ratification of the deal, Abul Kalam Azad, the prime minister's press secretary, said at a press briefing on Monday.

The cabinet meeting in the Secretariat was presided over by prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

A memorandum of understanding on power import was signed during Hasina's recent visit to India.

Abul Kalam Azad, the prime minister's press secretary, said this in a press briefing on Monday after a cabinet meeting in the secretariat.

Azad said the government has decided to import power from the friendly nation to meet the demand alongside producing electricity locally. He added that a contract would soon be signed between Bangladesh Power Development Board and the National Thermal Power Corporation of India on the import.

The cabinet approved the final draft of 'Bangladesh Parjatan Board Act 2010,' for the improvement of services in the tourism industry.

Earlier on Dec 24, 2009, the cabinet sent back this law for amendments and final approval.

The cabinet has also approved the final draft of 'Battalion Ansar (Amendment) Act 2010' to regularise the jobs of the Ansars after nine years of service, which previously was 12 years.

The meeting approved the amendments to the 'Non-government Primary Teacher Welfare Trust Act 2000,' under which a teacher would be the member secretary of the welfare trust and there would be two vice-chairmen in place of one.

The cabinet was also informed about employment minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain's visit to Lebanon to explore market there.

 

[ajtr]

Where's the beef? Indians don't want to know ​

Wander the streets surrounded by vegetarians, enjoy being adorned with garlands and treated with god-like reverence as you look forward to dying of old age.

But danger lurks, even in paradise.

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A dirty little secret that most Indian politicians don't discuss is the thriving cow smuggling trade from their Hindu-majority nation, home of the sacred cow, to Muslim-majority Bangladesh, where many people enjoy a good steak. The trade is particularly robust around the Muslim festival of Eid.

India has outlawed cattle exports, but that hasn't prevented well-organized traffickers from herding millions of the unlucky beasts each year onto trains and trucks, injecting them with drugs on arrival so they walk faster, then forcing them to ford rivers and lumber into slaughterhouses immediately across the border.

On the hot, flat Murshidabad plains bridging the border, Sarvender Ghankar, 24, a member of India's Border Security Force, pointed toward Bangladesh. It's a few hundred yards away, but the line is unmarked. Farmers wander back and forth. But to hear him talk, the divide is as secure as Ft. Knox.

"There used to be smuggling, but now the border is completely sealed," Ghankar said, sporting camouflage fatigues, shiny black boots and a 20-round semiautomatic rifle. "Soon we'll even have a fence."

Area residents have a different take.

"The border guards are in on it, both in India and Bangladesh, and take bribes to look the other way," said Yasin Mullah, 55, a Murshidabad shopkeeper and cow owner. "Smuggling is rampant these days with all the money and growing population."

Estimates suggest 1.5 million cows, valued at up to $500 million, are smuggled annually, providing more than half the beef consumed in Bangladesh.

The cows come from as far as Rajasthan, about 1,000 miles away. Many trade hands several times en route.

At the Panso market in Jharkhand state, an interim stop about 300 miles from the border, the 15,000 or so cows passing through each week fetch about $100 apiece, local vendors say.

Animals that arrive exhausted are injected with Diclofenac sodium, a banned anti-inflammatory drug, to energize them. Most of the traders are Muslims. Many of the drivers and handlers are Hindus. At the border, crossings are usually done at night.

Most cows pass through West Bengal state, which shares a 1,300-mile border with Bangladesh. The state's communist government maintains a neutral line on religion, allowing cows to be openly slaughtered and traded.

Other Indian states accuse West Bengal of encouraging the illegal trade, said Haripada Biswas, a state assemblyman from Jagadal district, a stance he sees as hypocritical.

"Delhi is biased against cow killing, but beef is very delicious," Biswas said. "And many of the illegal cows arrive from cow-loving states. Those guys act all principled, and quickly blame us, but don't seem above making a tidy profit."

The profits can be significant. A $100 medium-size cow in Jharkhand is worth nearly double that in West Bengal and about $350 in Bangladesh. Indian residents along the border complain that the markup also attracts illegal migrants from Bangladesh, who steal cows at night and dart back home.

In a bid to stem the rustling, the Murshidabad local government announced a cow-licensing system in 2007. Cows were issued photo IDs. Branding or ear tags were nixed as hurtful to cows and easily altered by rustlers.

But enforcement has been lax, and the ID system is largely ineffective, residents said.

"You can put a picture of your cat, dog, your elbow in the photo and no one looks closely," said Mullah, who has opted not to register his two cows.

India has mostly turned a blind eye to the smuggling problem. In part, it's worried that any mention could inflame religious tensions between Hindus and Muslims, said Sreeradha Datta, an analyst with New Delhi's Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses. Hindus consider cows sacred because of references in ancient religious texts.

"It's too political," she said. "And every pocket is being lined, with a trade of this magnitude."

Bangladesh has little incentive to raise the issue publicly either, analysts said, given that it taxes the smugglers and is quite happy not to pay India the duties that a legal trade would entail.

Mohammad Jalal Uddin Sikder, professor of migration at the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh, believes that the cross-border business should be legalized to reduce the number of deaths in clashes; about 100 cattle traders and border guards are killed each. The two nations met to discuss the idea in 2008, but Sikder acknowledges that legalization is unlikely anytime soon, given longstanding distrust between the two sides.

One thing is clear, he said: The trade isn't going away.

"My grandmother's house is in Bangladesh, and her field is in India," he said. "There are 21 rivers along a border that's [2,700 miles] long. It's just not possible to stop."

 

[Oracle]

Guwahati-Dhaka bus service likely

R Dutta Choudhury

GUWAHATI, June 6 – With improvement of relations between India and Bangladesh, a proposal to introduce bus service between Guwahati and Dhaka via Shillong is under serious consideration of the Government of India.
Highly-placed official sources told The Assam Tribune that the Government has agreed on principle to introduce such a bus service to improve connectivity of the North East region. However, sources admitted that modalities for a bus service are yet to be finalized and "a lot of hurdles will have to be cleared before a bus service connecting Guwahati and Dhaka becomes operational. Further improvement of the relations between India and Bangladesh will also determine whether the Government of India gives its nod to the introduction of the bus service."

Sources pointed out that the relations between India and Bangladesh started improving after the Sheikh Hasina Government assumed office in the neighbouring country and some of the key areas of recent discussions include improvement of trade ties and dealing with militancy. The Government of Bangladesh has already agreed on principle to allow use of Chittagong port, which would be of great help to the North East region, while, the Government of India is pressing the neighbouring country to allow use of the river routes, which would solve the problem of lack of connectivity of the North-east by a great extent. It may be mentioned here that a delegation of ministers of the NE states and traders of the region recently visited Bangladesh to discuss the issues relating to improvement of trade ties and the delegation also met the Bangladesh Prime Minister to put forward a list of the steps need to be taken in this regard.

Sources said that India has allowed Bangladesh use of routes from Nepal and Bhutan through India and Bangladesh is requesting India to allow use of more such routes. Government of India is also proving aids to Bangladesh for implementation of various development projects.

On the issue of militancy, sources said that though India and Bangladesh agreed to set up a joint task force, the same is yet to become operational. But sharing of information by both countries to deal with the problem has improved considerably in recent months, which led to handing over of a number of key members of NE based militant groups to India. Sources said that ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and other leaders of the ULFA were handed over before the last visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister to create a congenial atmosphere for the visit and only recently, after constant pressure from India, the NDFB chief Ranjan Daimary was handed over.

Sources said that a number of hardcore militants including members of the United Liberation Front of Asom, NDFB, the chairman of Manipur based group UNLF etc are still in Bangladesh and the Government of India has been putting pressure on Bangladesh to hand them over. The Government of India is expecting that Bangladesh would soon hand over the Kamatapur Liberation Organization (KLO) chief Jiban Singha as he is reportedly under surveillance. "The Government of Bangladesh may take time in handing over militants as if all the wanted persons are handed over at one go, Bangladesh Government will lose its barging point with India," sources said.

Sources further said that India is requesting Bangladesh to hand over ULFA general secretary Anup Chetia, who is under "protective custody" of Bangladesh after completing his jail term in the neighbouring country. However, the Government of Bangladesh will have to complete some legal formalities before handing him over to India, sources added.

http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=jun0710/at05

 

[Oracle]

Dialogue only way to solve water disputes: Bangladesh envoy

New Delhi, June 9 (IANS): Disputes over the crucial issue of water can only be solved by dialogue, Bangladesh's High Commissioner Tariq Ahmed Kari said here on Tuesday.
Speaking at a roundtable discussions on water security in South Asia, the ambassador in Delhi noted that "muscle-flexing" never helped. "Our experiences show that it has never helped. Our tough stand with India did not work. Things started moving when we sat down and started discussing the issue with India," he said.

The discussion was organised by the Observer Research Foundation in collaboration with Germany-based Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung.

Referring to Indian concerns over reports of the Chinese move to divert water upstream of the Brahmaputra in Tibet, Kari said India was in the same position as Bangladesh was earlier, when the former didn't not understand the latter's concern over water.

He suggested that the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) could have a new paradigm of sub-regional grouping. For example, there could be three groups: one - India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan; two - India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and the Seychelles; and three - India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

These groups can work much effectively bringing together all the stake holders like states, local governments and people to solve issues which were "hostage to the partition syndrome," he said.

http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=jun0910/at044

 

[Oracle]

Let economics drive our relations: Bangla envoy to India

NEW DELHI, June 10 (IANS) - Bangladesh has urged India to open its doors wider to allow duty-free goods and reach a "meaningful" free trade agreement (FTA) to facilitate a "convergence (of interests)" that will make economy drive politics and bilateral relations.
"Politics has, unfortunately, driven our economic ties and has impacted overall relations. It is time to change this pattern. Once that happens, other issues like fighting militancy, boundary dispute and water sharing will also become easier to deal with," Bangladesh's High Commissioner to India Tariq A Karim told IANS in an interview.

The two countries are considering a FTA that will open up duty-free export of garments, leather, jute and ceramic products from Bangladesh to India. According to one estimate, two-way trade is likely to grow four-fold in around five years once the pact is in place.

Told about reservations in many Indian quarters because of past experiences, Karim said there could be "no guarantee", but Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government had "walked an extra mile" to change earlier perceptions.

"If India does not respond, other forces are ready to take over in our country," he warned.

India, he said, should take "a leap of faith" in cooperating with Bangladesh, without nursing "fears of past and the future", and help create "a measure of inter-dependence" that cannot be easily reversed.

"All I can say is: bring down the wall of fear. There is no option. There is this chance for us both," Karim said.

"Cooperation between us is now a choice, not a constraint," Karim said, pointing to the presence of "stable coalition governments" now ruling in Dhaka and New Delhi.

He drew this comparison with the 1996-2001 tenure of Prime Minister Hasina when India too went through unstable and short-lived coalition governments.

The present phase is "most auspicious" for forging close bilateral ties. "The wheel of history has taken a full circle. The situation is almost like in 1971," he said, referring to the close understanding between the two Prime Ministers of that era, Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in the early 1970s, immediately after the birth of Bangladesh.

The task of the Hasina Government had been made easy by the spirit of accommodation shown by India when she visited New Delhi in January. The "unusual generosity" India showed in granting a $1-billion line of credit had been noted and the task was to translate it into specific projects.

Bangladesh welcomed investment, a significant signal sent by Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel that has recently entered mobile telephony and telecom infrastructure.

Of Tata Group that withdrew its $3-billion investment offer, the highest ever Bangladesh has received, Karim said: "Tatas are most welcome, if they move away from the idea of buying cheap gas from us for their projects. We do not have gas to spare."

Appreciating Indian concerns, both security and economic, in its northeastern region, Karim said that reversing earlier policies, Dhaka had "decided to join South Asia," by linking with the trans-Asian super highway and rail network.

One thing the two governments could leave for posterity would be to undo the British legacy of 115 enclaves that dot the border. This could be rationalized to end the sufferings of the people residing in those enclaves.

"It is a challenge, but it is not impossible," he said a month ahead of the meeting of officials.

During Sheikh Hasina's India visit in January, both the countries had come to an agreement to address the land issues keeping the spirit of the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement.

"Now that political understanding has been reached, let us try a hundred percent. Even sixty percent achievement will be worth it.

"We do not have much time, and I am impatient," Karim told IANS.

http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=jun1010/at043

 

[forigners]

Bangladesh and Indian Relationship day by day better and Better.
It is good news for both country.

 

[ajtr]

India to export 5 lt foodgrain to Bangladesh soon​

Our Bureau

New Delhi, Oct. 23

The Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Mr Anand Sharma, said on Saturday that India will shortly export three lakh tonnes of par-boiled rice and two lakh tonnes of wheat to Bangladesh.

The announcement comes even as there is an ban on shipment of such foodgrains. However, the Centre has been acceding to Bangaladesh request for foodgrain supply in the last two years.

Following a meeting with his Bangladeshi counterpart, Mr Muhammad Faruk Khan here, Mr Sharma told reporters that "We have discussed the issue of food security. We confirm that India will be exporting 300,000 tonnes of par-boiled rice and 200,000 tonnes of wheat to Bangladesh."

Mr Sharma said arrangements for the supply par-boiled rice and wheat from India to Bangladesh are being carried out to ensure that it takes place soon.

"The agencies and the Public Sector Units (State trading firms) have been mandated to do so expeditiously. The Director-General of Foreign Trade, Mr Anup K. Pujari, is monitoring it so that the quantity of rice and wheat reaches Bangladesh as early as possible," Mr Sharma added.

To a question on media reports that the Bangladesh Government had refused to purchase Indian foodgrains due to high costs, he said, "I think, we should avoid looking for controversies where there are none."

Bangladesh imports around one million tonne of wheat and rice every year.

Mr Khan told reporters on the sidelines of a FICCI function on Friday evening that he had informed Mr Sharma that Bangladesh wants an agreement with India to import of rice and wheat every year.

India banned export of wheat in October 2007, while it prohibited non-basmati rice exports in April 2008.

This was to make sure that there is no scarcity of the items in the domestic market and also to rein in inflation.

However, the ban has been eased on certain occasions on diplomatic grounds.

APPAREL IMPORTS

India will import 1.7 million pieces of textiles from Bangladesh without any duty in the October-December quarter, Mr Sharma said.

This is part of New Delhi's earlier permission for duty-free import of eight million textile pieces from Bangladesh during a calendar year. The garment sector contributes to around 80 per cent of Bangladesh's total exports.

A fresh quota of eight million pieces of textiles would be available from January 2011. "We (India) have a quota for the import of apparels from Bangladesh. For the remaining quarter of this year, that is between now and December 31, another 1.7 million pieces which are to come from Bangladesh, we have agreed that import will be made by India. The new quota begins from January 1, 2011," Mr Sharma said.

[email protected]

On cotton exports from India to Bangladesh, Mr Sharma said despite India's temporarily banning cotton exports in July, following Bangladesh's request to allow cotton export from India to honour the contracts that were entered into before the ban, New Delhi has promptly addressed the issue by allowing cotton shipments to Bangladesh to honour the pending Letters of Credit contracted.

"I have assured the Minister (Mr Khan) that the remainder quantity (of cotton) as contracted earlier shall also reach Bangladesh and the situation and movement is being monitored closely," Mr Sharma said.

Mr Khan said during the discussions, Bangladesh asked India to remove quota and tariff on 61 items and Mr Sharma has assured him that "it is under active consideration of the Indian Government."

Bangladesh has appreciated India's assistance to the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution through the Bureau of Indian Standards, an official statement said.

 

[ajtr]

India to supply power to Bangladesh from 2012: Sharma​

NEW DELHI: Commerce Minister Anand Sharma on Saturday said India would start supplying electricity to the neighbouring country Bangladesh from 2012.

India has agreed to supply 250 MW electricity from its grid to the power-starved nation.

"There has been an agreement reached on bulk power transmission between the two countries, which were signed in July. We hope that the transmission of power as agreed earlier will commence from 2012," Sharma said after a meeting his Bangladeshi counterpart Muhammad Faruk Khan.

Only around 40 per cent of the Bangladeshi population currently has access to electricity while the country now witnesses a deficit of 1,000 to 1,500 mw power with 41 public and private sector plants with de-rated capacity of 5,198 mw.

State-run NTPC in collaboration with Bangladesh Power Development Board would establish two thermal power projects at Chittagong and Khulna for mitigating the power shortages in the neighbouring nation.

"Feasibility study of the two power projects would commence soon," Sharma said.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the two parties here in August for setting up two 1,320 MW each power projects.

The power plants are likely to come up at an investment of approximately Rs 13,200 crore. The coal-fired power plants are likely to be installed on a 50:50 equity basis to be run on imported coal and operated by NTPC.

NTPC will also provide training and development to human resources of BPDB and enhancement of productivity and efficiency of their existing power stations.

 

[SixSigma1978]

I just think as a Nation - I would be grateful to another if it helped me secure independence from a foreign power/ repressive regime.
All other flaws considered secondary!!
Bangladesh would never have made it (though its freedom fighters were doing a good job) without the support and eventual theater of war of India Vs Pakistan.
Had Pakistan been allowed to continue its repression and Genocide - it might have subdued (though perhaps not suppressed) the freedom movement - like India did in Punjab (happy the insurgency is gone - not sure at what human cost!!) Man - they killed millions of Bangladeshis - and India stopped them!! That should be enough to show our intentions were not conspirational !

I'm pretty sure if India was an economic basketcase like Pakistan and millions of its citizens
were seeking asylum in a more economically stable Bangladesh - YOU guys would take umbrage and anger at the millions of "outsiders" in your country!!
So I would not nitpick at the few flaws mate. We're neighbors united by a common adversary!

 

[ajtr]

2,600MW power plant being built with Indian help​

A 2,600-megawatt coal-fired power plant is being built with India's assistance in Rampal upazila to reduce nagging power crisis in the country.

Bangladesh and India signed an agreement to build the country's biggest-ever power plant in Bagerhat district under a joint venture initiative.

Bangladesh's Power Development Board (PDB) and India's state-owned National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) are designated to implement the project by 2016.

Ministry of Land already gave nod to acquire land at Sapmari-Katakhali and Koigordaskathi area in Rampal to develop land for implementing the project.

Mohammad Akram Hossain, deputy commissioner of Bagerhat, said 1,834 acres of land were acquired at Sapmari Katakhali-Koigardaskathi area in the first phase of land acquisition.

Notices have been served to land owners for the second phase of land acquisition.

Project Director Engineer Mohammad Abul Kashem said the power plant would be built in three phases.

In the first phase, the land will be filled with soil and developed for setting up construction materials and building infrastructure.

In the second phase, structures will be built on the land and in the third machines will be stalled.

An 18-member delegation of Bangladesh will visit the power plant area today.

 

[ajtr]

India sends 'request list' for services sector entry​

Nazmul Ahsan

India has sought to entry some major areas of Bangladesh services sector, including banking, insurance construction and health, a top trade official said.

New Delhi has recently sent a 'request list' to this effect to the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) for consideration under the 'SAARC Agreement on Trade in Services'.

It has sought government's policy decision on Indian investment in major areas of business in the country's services sector, sources said.

The areas are -- accounting, auditing, urban planning, medical and dental services, advertising, electronic media, rail transport, pipeline transport, construction and related engineering services, educational, environment and investment in the country's financial sector.

Dhaka is yet to finalise its position as far as opening up of the country's service sector to India and other SAARC member countries, a top MoC official said.

He said they will hold a meeting soon with the officials of Bangladesh Tariff Commission (BTC) and National Board of Revenue to identify the area that could be opened for Indian investment.

The MoC will also hold discussions with Bangladesh Bank, private bank owners and other stakeholders to firm up its position.

"We will finalise our position by mid March, this year as Bangladesh has to commit the areas of services sector that would be opened for investment by nations of the regional pact at the next SAARC expert group meeting scheduled for March 30 in Katmandu,'' a BTC high official said.

The eight member countries of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) inked the deal on trade in services in 2010.

The agreement will follow the formula of positive list approach in opening up markets to each other for trade in services, contrary to the negative list method now being practiced for trade in goods under the South Asian Free Trade Area agreement, a trade official said.

Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the Maldives are the members of the SAARC.

Enhancing investment in service sector among regional countries and increasing local competitiveness and expertise in service-oriented business, are some of the factors that inspired the Bangladesh policymakers to sign deal along with other South Asian economies, trade officials said.

However, a MoC official said the government must be careful at the time negotiation for opening up the service sector.

He said a liberal approach in opening up country's service sector might cause harm to local players, including physicians, advertising firms, radio and television, rail transport, educational services, banks and insurance companies.

The signatories to the agreement are not allowed to discriminate against any of the contracting states in terms of doing or allowing business, while they will avoid causing unnecessary damage to the commercial, economic and financial interests of other contracting states, the agreement said.

Trade officials said the foreign investment to be made in areas of services' sector will get National Treatment as per the provision of the regulation of World Trade Organisation(WTO).

Any investment to be made in Bangladesh by India or other member countries of SAARC in service sector, will be free from any discrimination in terms of taxing, offering tax benefit and other state incentives, an expert on WTO in MoC, said.

Dhaka is also preparing a 'wish list' to be submitted to India and other SAARC members at the forthcoming expert group meeting, a high official said.

"For us, doing business in India and giving India with business opportunity here under the agreement of trade in services are equally important, which don't that much matter as far as other member countries of the regional pact are concerned," a trade diplomat said.

He said wholesale opportunity for Indian service sector investment would be threatening for the country.

Meanwhile, the MoC made a preliminary assessment on the strength and weakness of service sector before the country pledges other countries to invest in service sector.

The findings of the assessment, however, could not be known.

 

[SixSigma1978]

This thread is so awashed with BLIND bangla patriotism - let me add my two cents. My maternal uncle, (Major R K Pratap for anyone who is interested) -served in the front lines and worked with Mukti Bahini on two fronts. He was part of the "supplier" group that gave arms and ammunition to the hopelessly outgunned Mukti Bahini forces - which were getting shredded by Yahya's brutal massacre.
It become quite apparent that West Pakistan's overwhelming firepower and brutal crackdown was not going in favor of the Bangladeshis - and this opportunity to end west pakistan's influence coupled with the massive flood of refugees prompted India's entry into the war.
My uncle FOUGHT in Bangladesh - and lost 3 jawans under his command in artillery fire! He himself was hit by a shrapnel that thankfully didn't hit any vital organs. The end result is conclusive, for all the "ungrateful patriotic balderdash" the OP has posted :
1. Without India - Bangladesh would still be a satellite state under a more autocratic and repressive West Pakistan - which, if successful would have forced such measures seeing they had worked. Remember : they MURDERED 2 million Bangladeshis - and the AMERICANS didnt blink an eye - seeing how the fight had become more than a local skirmish - with both Soviet Union and West too getting involved in this battle for influence!!
2. India too lost many of its troops - and still gives asylums to millions of Bangladeshis in its territory without asking anything in return. All we get from Bangladesh is jibes and whines in return.
3. India STAYED in Bangladesh for a predetermined period of time - to ensure transition of state. Its not a simple "we won thus we can rule" bullshit!! Bangladeshis were going to slaughter the captured Pakistanis - and the splinter millitias were baying for blood. Its the massive presence of Indian troops that honored the Geneva convention and kept the victory honorable - unlike the Pakistani beasts who had murdered so many in cold blood!!

We're NOT asking for anything. All we ask is honor those who have fallen in SERVING to free your country !! And take BACK the tens of millions of your brethren that so easily call India their home and yet are flooding the streets with beggary, crime and fascist Islamism that INDIAN Muslims too detest! You would'nt like it if India too was a basket case and its citizens started flooding your country and started messing with your way of life!!

 

[Galaxy]

Dhaka land deal sparks furore Assam fumes at 'betrayal'

Guwahati, Sept. 7: Widespread protests today greeted the Centre's decision to hand over Assam's land to Bangladesh.

Sources closely associated with land survey in the state said Assam would have to give up around 342 acres of land in adverse possession of Bangladesh while Dhaka would have to forfeit claim over 435 acres in possession of India to resolve the long-pending boundary issue.

Among those who protested the move were the All Assam Students' Union (AASU), the AGP, the BJP and the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS). They came down heavily on Singh and Gogoi for having allegedly betrayed the interests of the state.

The BJP said it would vehemently oppose ceding of Assam's land to Bangladesh in Parliament. "The land will be handed over to Bangladesh according to the 1974 Indira-Mujib treaty, which will have to be ratified in Parliament. Our party will vehemently oppose the land deal when it will be placed in Parliament for ratification," general secretary of the BJP's Assam unit, Pradyut Bora, said.

"Ten pacts were signed but not one on the presence of over 40 lakh illegal Bangladeshis in Assam. Why didn't the chief minister or the Prime Minister discuss the influx issue with their Bangladeshi counterparts? The royal Bengal tigers have got higher priority than the influx issue," he added.

The party's activists burnt effigies of Gogoi and staged protests against the deal across the state. BJP MPs from Assam, Bijoya Chakravarty, Rajen Gohain and Kabindra Purkayastha, staged a sit-in outside Parliament against the deal.

The AGP was equally scathing, terming the boundary pact as the "second Yandaboo Treaty" and announced that the party would observe September 6 as "betrayal day" every year in protest against the treaty. Its activists burnt Gogoi's effigies across the state.

"By signing the land swap deal and agreeing to hand over land belonging to Assam, the chief minister has betrayed the people of the state. It is a day of betrayal. We visited the villages at Boroibari in Dhubri district and found that the villagers there possess patta (land deed) in their names. Yet the government has agreed to hand over this land to Bangladesh," AGP president Chandra Mohan Patowary said, threatening to intensify their protests.

He said nearly 567 bighas of land in Boroibari, which the government has agreed to give to Bangladesh, was allotted to three villagers, Golam Ali, Mir Sheikh and Hiru Sheikh, in 1957-58 under Goalpara Tenancy Act, 1929.

Government sources said Assam would lose 74 acres at Palathol and 75 acres at Dumabari in Karimganj district and 193 acres at Boroibari as part of the deal to settle the adverse possession issue, demarcate the boundary and get its border fenced.

Similarly, Dhaka has given up its claim over 145 acres in possession of India at Naygaon in Karimganj and 290 acres at Palathol. "It is quid pro quo for mutual benefit. Formalities are yet to be completed," one of them said.

AASU activists blocked National Highway 37 in front of Gauhati University around 11.30am for about half-an-hour to protest the land deal.

"Every anchalik committee of AASU across the state hanged and burnt effigies of the Prime Minister and chief minister. What could be more unfortunate for the people of Assam than the Prime Minster, who is a Rajya Sabha MP from the state, signing an agreement in presence of the chief minister to cede Assam's land to Bangladesh? This is an inexcusable act and the people of Assam will never accept this agreement. The influx issue was not raised by Gogoi or Singh," AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharyya said.

The KMSS, which has been spearheading land rights movement for indigenous farmers in Assam, also said it would not accept the deal. Its activists staged protests across the state.

Dhaka land deal sparks furore Assam fumes at ‘betrayal’

 

[bhramos]

Seminar to boost Indo-Bangladesh ties - The Times of India

 

[Kunal Biswas]

 

[yasinbin]

This thread is so awashed with BLIND bangla patriotism - let me add my two cents. My maternal uncle, (Major R K Pratap for anyone who is interested) -served in the front lines and worked with Mukti Bahini on two fronts. He was part of the "supplier" group that gave arms and ammunition to the hopelessly outgunned Mukti Bahini forces - which were getting shredded by Yahya's brutal massacre.
It become quite apparent that West Pakistan's overwhelming firepower and brutal crackdown was not going in favor of the Bangladeshis - and this opportunity to end west pakistan's influence coupled with the massive flood of refugees prompted India's entry into the war.
My uncle FOUGHT in Bangladesh - and lost 3 jawans under his command in artillery fire! He himself was hit by a shrapnel that thankfully didn't hit any vital organs. The end result is conclusive, for all the "ungrateful patriotic balderdash" the OP has posted :
1. Without India - Bangladesh would still be a satellite state under a more autocratic and repressive West Pakistan - which, if successful would have forced such measures seeing they had worked. Remember : they MURDERED 2 million Bangladeshis - and the AMERICANS didnt blink an eye - seeing how the fight had become more than a local skirmish - with both Soviet Union and West too getting involved in this battle for influence!!
2. India too lost many of its troops - and still gives asylums to millions of Bangladeshis in its territory without asking anything in return. All we get from Bangladesh is jibes and whines in return.
3. India STAYED in Bangladesh for a predetermined period of time - to ensure transition of state. Its not a simple "we won thus we can rule" bullshit!! Bangladeshis were going to slaughter the captured Pakistanis - and the splinter millitias were baying for blood. Its the massive presence of Indian troops that honored the Geneva convention and kept the victory honorable - unlike the Pakistani beasts who had murdered so many in cold blood!!

We're NOT asking for anything. All we ask is honor those who have fallen in SERVING to free your country !! And take BACK the tens of millions of your brethren that so easily call India their home and yet are flooding the streets with beggary, crime and fascist Islamism that INDIAN Muslims too detest! You would'nt like it if India too was a basket case and its citizens started flooding your country and started messing with your way of life!!

From a common Bangladeshi --
1. Patriotism/love for motherland is supposed to be blind.
2. We never said we didn't appreciate your Army's sacrifices or sufferings during 1971. But there were your geo-political interest on as well, which we knew of.
3. US -Russia, regarding them, these big players will fight proxy wars with each others, but not directly with each other-look at the history of international conflicts.
4. Many people in Bangladesh here now also have relatives in India who came here after 1947 and vice -versa, i know a few of them personally. Indian High Commission is a very busy center in Dhaka, trust me, i went there. Coming back to the point- , and these people are attached more to each other, so what can a porous border and corrupt border guards do?
5. A majority of your country's population are poor- can afford hardly one meals a day, will you also call them Bangladeshi?? You are too much blinded by propaganda and emotions. ( Poverty in India - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia )
6. "Push In" is a word that are common in life of border people in Bangladesh as India and Myanmar so gladly tries to push as many Bengali speaking people and Muslims mostly in our country, still we do not insult them. Neither do we insult humanity.


This thread is about India-Bangladesh relation. If you want to understand relation, you will also need to understand the mentality, culture, history, current issues of the concerned people.

 

[Mad Indian]

In the same wikipedia you have so conviniently quoted also has an article on ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION by BANGLADESHIS into INDIA(the only idiotic country which puts other's interest in front of its own) , now i want your answer for that before you go on about NATIONAL INTERESTS.

My question is this, why are those retards, who so conviniently left us to be in a Muslim country in 1947 coming back here and what the fu*k is the point of havin a seperate country called Bangladesh.

Now i want the bangladeshis to answer my above question before they rant any further(its a simple question after all)