Dhaka talks tough on terror; will Reopen all transit routes with India
Source: Assam times
Bangladesh
has reiterated it would not allow its soil to be used for any terrorist
activity against India and has promised to reopen all transit routes
for maximum connectivity between the two neighbours. This was stated by
Bangladesh High Commissioner in India, Mr Tariq Ahmed Karim, during his
talk ‘India-Bangladesh Relations: Beyond Barriers” organized by the
Centre for Development and Peace Studies, a Guwahati-based think tank,
here last night.
Mr Karim, in an unusually candid address, admitted there has been
avoidable ‘barriers’ that has been keeping relations between the two
populous neighbours tense for large part of the past forty years since
Bangladesh attained its independence. “Now, things have changed and the
Prime Ministers of the two nations, Dr Manmohan Singh and Sheikh
Hasina, have already given us the work order to boost ties and
consolidate on the prevailing congenial atmosphere,” High Commissioner
Karim, who has been handpicked by Sheikh Hasina as her country’s top
envoy in India, said.
Mr Karim told the packed gathering comprising top government
functionaries, academics, social activists, and journalists, that his
country has now decided to reopen all transit routes with India and
take things back to that prevailing before 1965. The High Commissioner,
during the interactive session later, indicated that Dhaka would allow
the use of its Chittagong Port to services the land-locked northeastern
Indian states.
“The world has seen our resolve to fight terrorism and India has
acknowledged it at the highest level. We shall not allow any terrorist
act against India to be carried out from our territory,” the High
Commissioner said during his hour-long address. He, however, urged
India to take a leap forward in easing the trade imbalance that is
largely against Bangladesh’s favour.
The High Commissioner called for management of the rivers that
criss-cross the two nations. “Rivers do not have boundaries. What is
needed is river management, not water sharing,” Mr Karim Said.
In his introductory address, CDPS Director Mr Wasbir Hussain, said in
the past forty years since India helped Bangladesh attain independence
from Pakistan, New Delhi and Dhaka have maintained a blow-hot-blow-cold
relationship. “To be frank, there has been a great deal of trust
deficit between the two nations. But there is no reason why there
should be a status quo. I am happy to note that things are indeed
changing, and changing fast, after the Awami League headed by Sheikh
Hasina, returned to power in December 2008,” Mr Hussain said.
Bangladesh
has reiterated it would not allow its soil to be used for any terrorist
activity against India and has promised to reopen all transit routes
for maximum connectivity between the two neighbours. This was stated by
Bangladesh High Commissioner in India, Mr Tariq Ahmed Karim, during his
talk ‘India-Bangladesh Relations: Beyond Barriers” organized by the
Centre for Development and Peace Studies, a Guwahati-based think tank,
here last night.
Mr Karim, in an unusually candid address, admitted there has been
avoidable ‘barriers’ that has been keeping relations between the two
populous neighbours tense for large part of the past forty years since
Bangladesh attained its independence. “Now, things have changed and the
Prime Ministers of the two nations, Dr Manmohan Singh and Sheikh
Hasina, have already given us the work order to boost ties and
consolidate on the prevailing congenial atmosphere,” High Commissioner
Karim, who has been handpicked by Sheikh Hasina as her country’s top
envoy in India, said.
Mr Karim told the packed gathering comprising top government
functionaries, academics, social activists, and journalists, that his
country has now decided to reopen all transit routes with India and
take things back to that prevailing before 1965. The High Commissioner,
during the interactive session later, indicated that Dhaka would allow
the use of its Chittagong Port to services the land-locked northeastern
Indian states.
“The world has seen our resolve to fight terrorism and India has
acknowledged it at the highest level. We shall not allow any terrorist
act against India to be carried out from our territory,” the High
Commissioner said during his hour-long address. He, however, urged
India to take a leap forward in easing the trade imbalance that is
largely against Bangladesh’s favour.
The High Commissioner called for management of the rivers that
criss-cross the two nations. “Rivers do not have boundaries. What is
needed is river management, not water sharing,” Mr Karim Said.
In his introductory address, CDPS Director Mr Wasbir Hussain, said in
the past forty years since India helped Bangladesh attain independence
from Pakistan, New Delhi and Dhaka have maintained a blow-hot-blow-cold
relationship. “To be frank, there has been a great deal of trust
deficit between the two nations. But there is no reason why there
should be a status quo. I am happy to note that things are indeed
changing, and changing fast, after the Awami League headed by Sheikh
Hasina, returned to power in December 2008,” Mr Hussain said.
Comments