Dhaka and New Delhi: agreements on borders, trade, water (and smuggling ...)
by Nozrul Islam
These are the issues on the bargaining table between the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The bilateral trade deal will also impact on Nepal, Bhutan and Pakistan.
Dhaka (AsiaNews) - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is currently in Dhaka, to conclude a series of economic agreements with his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina, that would open a new chapter in relations between the two countries. Only two days - 6 and 7 – but a visit of historical significance. The deals on the table, in fact, will regulate relations and trade in a more equitable fashion, regulating - and facilitating - the passage of goods. But the visit also affects relations with other countries of South Asia, in a more or less direct manner, in the long and short term. The basis for these agreements were first put forward in January 2010, during Sheikh Hasina’s visit to New Delhi.
Among the agreements to be signed between today and tomorrow, the central question of 2.4 km of the 4,096 km border which have been outstanding since 1974, and which would change the maps of the two States even from a geographical point of view as well as the management of rivers - the "hot" issue in recent years - in particular the use of waters of the Teesta River, the sovereignty over the enclaves in both countries, in total about 10 thousand acres.
From New Delhi’s viewpoint, these agreements mean the opening of new trade routes, at least for the Northeast region (Nepal and Bhutan). Dhaka, however, hopes to better balance the deficit of its trade with India, and to exploit its "big brother" to build better infrastructure, both rail and road, which are obvious advantages for a growing country, with many problems still to solve. However, the political discourse in Bangladesh is tense, because this rapprochement reinvigorates old grudges: after the assassination in 1975 of the "Father of the Nation" (and Hasina, ed) Mijibur Rahman, relations between the two countries (India was Allied with the Awami League Rahman in the fight for independence) were radically revised and the nationalists (the BNP of Khaleda Zia, opposed to independence) had "restored" relations with the pro-Pakistani and anti-Indian forces. Today, Hasina (Awami League) is trying to emphasis India’s current role, demonstrating a broader political vision, vital for the country.
The issue of enclaves – further heightened in recent months by the Indian and Bangladeshi press - has a certain symbolic value, but in reality is not deeply felt by the population. In fact, it affects a small number of people - around 50 thousand - compared to the overall population of both countries: 142 million for Bangladesh, 1.2 billion for India. The problem of smuggling carries far more weight, a very active trafficking system based on a dense system of corruption. The Border Security Force (BSF) kill smugglers who refuse to pay bribes on the contrary, the Bangladeshi border guards do little or nothing at all. In this sense, the answer to the question of sovereignty of the enclaves - hoping to eliminate this "system" - is above all to the benefit of India, because it will better regulate the trade between the two countries.
Finally, the bilateral agreement between India and Bangladesh in an indirect way also includes Nepal and Bhutan, as regards the movement of goods. This assumes a broader and international context, of no little importance: now, thefocus of Indian trafficking will move across to the eastern front. Increasingly pushing Pakistan into a corner.
Among the agreements to be signed between today and tomorrow, the central question of 2.4 km of the 4,096 km border which have been outstanding since 1974, and which would change the maps of the two States even from a geographical point of view as well as the management of rivers - the "hot" issue in recent years - in particular the use of waters of the Teesta River, the sovereignty over the enclaves in both countries, in total about 10 thousand acres.
From New Delhi’s viewpoint, these agreements mean the opening of new trade routes, at least for the Northeast region (Nepal and Bhutan). Dhaka, however, hopes to better balance the deficit of its trade with India, and to exploit its "big brother" to build better infrastructure, both rail and road, which are obvious advantages for a growing country, with many problems still to solve. However, the political discourse in Bangladesh is tense, because this rapprochement reinvigorates old grudges: after the assassination in 1975 of the "Father of the Nation" (and Hasina, ed) Mijibur Rahman, relations between the two countries (India was Allied with the Awami League Rahman in the fight for independence) were radically revised and the nationalists (the BNP of Khaleda Zia, opposed to independence) had "restored" relations with the pro-Pakistani and anti-Indian forces. Today, Hasina (Awami League) is trying to emphasis India’s current role, demonstrating a broader political vision, vital for the country.
The issue of enclaves – further heightened in recent months by the Indian and Bangladeshi press - has a certain symbolic value, but in reality is not deeply felt by the population. In fact, it affects a small number of people - around 50 thousand - compared to the overall population of both countries: 142 million for Bangladesh, 1.2 billion for India. The problem of smuggling carries far more weight, a very active trafficking system based on a dense system of corruption. The Border Security Force (BSF) kill smugglers who refuse to pay bribes on the contrary, the Bangladeshi border guards do little or nothing at all. In this sense, the answer to the question of sovereignty of the enclaves - hoping to eliminate this "system" - is above all to the benefit of India, because it will better regulate the trade between the two countries.
Finally, the bilateral agreement between India and Bangladesh in an indirect way also includes Nepal and Bhutan, as regards the movement of goods. This assumes a broader and international context, of no little importance: now, thefocus of Indian trafficking will move across to the eastern front. Increasingly pushing Pakistan into a corner.
.png)
See also
Iran nuclear deal tanks oil prices
07/08/2015
07/08/2015
China first in the world for jailed journalists
15/12/2020 09:40
15/12/2020 09:40
Coronavirus: Beijing closes borders. Industrial profits plummet
27/03/2020 11:48
27/03/2020 11:48
