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PM's Dhaka visit will be high on substance, low on symbolism: Experts

New Delhi, Sun, 04 Sep 2011 ANI

New Delhi, Sep 4 (ANI): The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, will be embarking on his first visit to eastern neighbor Bangladesh next week. Six pacts including Border, Teesta river water sharing and transit are expected to be signed during the high profile visit.

 

It is after a gap of 12 years that the Indian Prime Minister is paying a visit to Bangladesh. Experts believe that Dr. Singh's visit would be less on symbolism and more on substance.

 

Dr Smriti Patnaik, Bangladesh analyst at New Delhi based defence think tank IDSA, says: "Some of the pending issues not since creation of Bangladesh in 1971 but 1947 partition is going to be resolved during the visit."

 

"The most important is going to be 6.5 kilometer boundary which remained un demarcated, exchange of enclaves and also I expect some kind of trade concession given to Bangladesh," she says.

 

Bangladesh and India share more 4,000-kilometer long and porous border, which has remained a major source of confrontation between Bangladesh Rifles and Border Security Force of India. It is also a main route used for smuggling, illegal migration and cross border infiltration.

 

India has about 92 enclaves of Bangladesh, and 106 enclaves of India are within Bangladeshi soil, These enclaves which dates back to Mughal era are spread across 6 .5 kilometers of land and are expected to be exchanged during the Prime Minister's visit.

 

India and Bangladesh are also likely to refresh water-sharing agreement on Teesta River. Teesta is the fourth major cross border river in Bangladesh after Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna. Teesta River water provides key support to crop production in the extreme northwest region of Bangladesh

 

According to the 1983 agreement on water sharing signed between India and Bangladesh, 36 percent of water will go to Bangladesh and 39 percent comes to India. The rest of water will be allowed to flow, but over the years due to sedimantation and climate change water flow has reduced and both countries desire to modify the sharing rules.

 

"This time both the countries are speaking of sharing the water, now the question is Bangladesh is saying that it should get the share of 55 percent and India will get 45 percent " says Smriti Patnaik.

 

Experts expect that the water sharing agreement will be a win win situation for both the water starved South Asian nations.

 

The Prime Minister is visiting Bangladesh with a huge contingent including the chief ministers of five north eastern states Mizoram, Tripura, Assam, Meghalya and West Bengal

 

Union Water Resources Minister will also join Dr. Singh at Dhaka.

 

India's north eastern states are landlocked with Bangladesh, which is major geographical constraint as far as the connectivity of North Eastern states with rest of India is concerned. Bangladesh could play a major role in resolving connectivity issue by opening its road and rail transit.

 

So far Bangladesh has been reluctant in developing transit route. However, New Delhi expects from Dhaka to open up transit routes sooner than later.

 

Bangladesh expert Smriti Patnaik says: "What is important for Bangladesh is a transit issue so they will try and see this aspect is implemented, Shiekh Hasina Government has already embarked on resolving transit issues at multilateral level, it has involved Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and India, so that it does not look like a bilateral thing."

 

India has already extended one billion US $ line of credit to Bangladesh for building road and rail infrastructure during Shiekh Hasina's visit to India last year.

 

Experts believe that involving chief ministers of north eastern Indian states in direct talks with Bangladesh is a good move by New Delhi.

 

"It is a positive sign for the first time New Delhi is really taking Geographical reality into consideration by involving North Eastern states because they have larger stakes, Delhi does not have larger stakes, Delhi has a very different kind of stake" Patnaik said.

 

"North Eastern states have stake in day to day economics, life, trade, communication network, people to people contacts," she added.

 

Security and counter terrorism will also remain a focal area of discussion during Prime Minister's Dhaka visit. Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League Government has taken a strong position and has clamped down on Anti India insurgents, it has also shown expediency in handing over key militants to India unlike previous dispensation, which remained in denial mode over the presence of anti India insurgents.

 

Analysts believe that by handing over Indian insurgents groups, Dhaka has consistently denied their presence in the past so it is a positive step that means new government has a positive approach.

 

In the run to Prime Minister's Dhaka visit, host of Indian leaders including Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi who was conferred Indira Gandhi award by the Hasina Government have already visited Bangladesh this year. y Naveen Kapoor (ANI)

 


Read More: Krishna | Dhaka | Sonia

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