AL leaders hopeful about PM's India visit

Awami League leaders have said they are optimistic that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's upcoming visit to India will further strengthen ties between the two neighbouring nations. They believe significant developments have been made in resolving several longstanding issues under the current regimes through dialogue and diplomacy, they told Dhaka Tribune on Sunday. Both India and Bangladesh are confident that some of the most talked about issues may be resolved during the visit. Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar visited Bangladesh in late February regarding Sheikh Hasina’s visit. Earlier an Indian newspaper report, quoting an Indian foreign ministry official, said India had sent Bangladesh a list of 41 agreements, which senior foreign officials of both countries had been discussing. Of these, nearly a dozen are expected to be signed during the visit that had been delayed at least twice since December last year. The prime minister will visit India from April 8-10 at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. She will be hosted by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee at the presidential residence. AL presidium member Abdur Razzak told Dhaka Tribune: “We hope our most challenging issues, including Teesta water sharing and tariffs, will be deliberated on and resolved in the PM’s upcoming India visit.” The news report also said the Teesta water sharing deal may not be signed given West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banarjee's reluctance due to her rift with the central government. However, Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar, during his Bangladesh visit last January, expressed hope of signing it during the Bangladesh PM's next visit. Senior AL officials such as Joint General Secretary Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif are also hopeful that the Teesta deal and Ganga barrage agreement, among the few remaining unresolved matters, would be settled during the visit. Hanif said: “Many of our longstanding issues with India have been resolved through dialogue and diplomacy during the Sheikh Hasina government. By dint of the diplomatic efforts of the prime minister, the issues of enclaves – which had been pending for 68 long years – and maritime boundary have been settled with India. In line with this development, we hope the few remaining issues such as Teesta water sharing and Ganga barrage will see progress during the prime minister’s upcoming India visit.” “As a whole, we look forward to deepening and strengthening our bilateral relationship with India through the prime minister's upcoming visit,” he said.