Bangladesh will seek an assurance from India that its soil will not be used against its next-door neighbour, when the foreign minister meets the Indian leadership during his visit to New Delhi.
“Of course India will have to assure us that its soil will not be used against Bangladesh and Dhaka will ask for it,” Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali told a press briefing at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport yesterday before his departure for New Delhi to attend the foreign minister level meeting to be held tomorrow.
When asked for details, the minister said: “Let me go to India and talk with them. When I return, I will let you know the outcome.”
The Joint Consultative Commission meeting is scheduled to take place against the backdrop of the Saradha scam which unearthed that an Indian politician had funded the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami to create unrest in Bangladesh.
India’s Home Minister Rajnath Singh had recently said the allegation that Trinamool Congress parliamentarian Ahmed Hassan Imran had used Saradha Group funds to destabilise Bangladesh was under investigation.
Saradha Group had extended considerable financial assistance to Jamaat-e-Islami to help the party create unrest in Bangladesh after the Hasina government began trying its top leaders for war crimes. Imran was accused of playing the key role in sending money to Jamaat.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the last cabinet meeting asked the officials concerned to keep a close watch on the Saradha Group’s financial scam.
The prime minister and the leadership time and again unequivocally said Bangladeshi soil would not used against any country and the government addressed the security concern of India.
The Indian leadership also on many occasions publicly praised Dhaka’s efforts and expressed their gratitude towards Bangladesh for addressing their concern.
Joint Consultative Commission
For the first time, Bangladesh is sending a high-powered delegation comprising seven secretaries and other government officials for foreign minister level talks.
“We hope that through this visit, the relationship between the government and the new leadership in India will be strengthened,” the foreign minister said.
He was accompanied by principal secretary, foreign secretary, commerce secretary, ERD secretary, power secretary, water resources secretary and shipping secretary.
“This meeting is significant as it is going to take place within four months after forming a new government in India,” Mahmood said.
Narendra Modi-led BJP formed government in May.
Unresolved issues, including Teesta water sharing agreement and ratification of land boundary agreement, security cooperation and border killings, power and energy cooperation, trade and development cooperation, regional and subregional cooperation, water resources cooperation and other issues will be discussed at the meeting.
“During the visit, Bangladesh will narrate the sense of urgency to resolve the Teesta agreement and LBA issues and bring down the border killings to zero,” the minister said. “We will raise issues related to fair water sharing of the common rivers and holding the next Joint River Commission meeting.”
Bangladesh and India were scheduled to sign the Teesta water sharing agreement in 2011 when former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Dhaka, but it was not signed due to strong opposition from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The land boundary agreement was signed by both countries in 1974 and Dhaka ratified it the same year, but India is yet to do so. The Indian government placed a bill to amend the constitution to pave way for the ratification of the LBA.
Dhaka will also hand over a list of trade barriers hampering Bangladesh’s exports to India.
The government will also hand over a list of products which face difficulties in getting Indian certificate to enter the country, the minister said.
Both countries emphasised on regional cooperation and in the JCC meeting they would discuss various aspects of cooperation under SAARC, BIMSTEC and BCIM-EC.
The foreign minister will pay courtesy call on Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and meet other Indian officials during the visit.
