New land residents observed the first anniversary of the historic enclave exchange between Bangladesh and India on midnight Sunday through lightening candles.
Local people of the former enclaves arranged a function to celebrate the historic day which ended the world's most complex border dispute.
Bangladesh and India exchanged a total of 162 enclaves on July 31 midnight last year with the land boundary agreement after seven decades of legal limbo.
Harun ur Rashid, who was the president of the enclave exchange co-ordination committee for Bans Pachai Bhitarkhuthi said all families of this village participated in arranging the programme to celebrate the day.
“We cut a cake and lit candles at midnight to celebrate the day which brought us out of the dark,” he said.
They will hold a rally in the morning with participation of local people, he said.
Different political leaders from surrounding areas also attended the function, Harun added.
A stage was built at the centre of the village and children were seen performing different cultural activities. Hundreds of villagers came to attend the function. A festive environment was prevailing in the village.
“We are very happy as the day brought basic rights for us,” said Saleha Begum, 36, resident of Bans Pachai Bhitarkhuthi. She said the government had developed the new land very fast improving the villagers' living standards.
Through the land swap, 111 Indian enclaves of 17,160 acres became Bangladeshi territory. Similarly, 51 Bangladesh enclaves of 7,110 acres became Indian territory.
Thursday, June 04, 2026
