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India allays Dhaka’s concerns


Published : 02 Mar 2020 09:10 PM | Updated : 07 Sep 2020 12:32 AM

Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday tried to allay all the concerns of Bangladesh as Prime Minister’s Adviser Gowher Rizvi said Dhaka does not expect any situation in New Delhi to affect harmony in Bangladesh. Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said he also raised the issues related to border killing, Teesta water sharing deal and citizenship exercise in Asam known as NRC when Shringla called on him later in the afternoon at his office.

 “Our commitment to secularism is absolutely central and we do not want to see any situation where our secularism will be threatened anyway,” Rizvi said, referring to the ongoing situation in India over NRC and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), at a seminar on ‘Bangladesh and India: A Promising Future’.

Shringla arrived in Dhaka on Monday to finalise the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is invited to the inauguration of the celebrations of Mujib Year, the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He served as Indian High Commissioner in Bangladesh between 2015 and 2018.

 “As the closest of neighbours, with so many shared cultural traits, it is also inevitable that events in each other’s countries create ripples across the border – irrespective of whether there is real justification for this,” he said.  “One recent example is the process of updating the National Register of Citizens in Assam, which has taken place entirely at the direction and under the supervision of the Supreme Court of India.”

 “Let me clearly state here what our leadership has repeatedly confirmed at the highest level to the Government of Bangladesh: this is a process that is entirely internal to India. Therefore there will be no implications for the Government and people of Bangladesh. You have our assurance on that count,” he asserted.

Replying to a question he said, India is committed to an early and mutually-acceptable conclusion of an agreement to share the waters of the Teesta River.  “We know this is an emotive issue on both sides of the border, but there is no diminution of the commitment of our government on this issue.”

 “Given our federal system, the agreement can only be finalised on the basis of consensus among all stakeholders. However, in the meanwhile, we can proceed on sharing the waters of our other shared rivers, so that there is positive progress for people on both sides to benefit from our close partnership.”

 “I am glad to note that in implementation of the arrangement decided during the visit of our Water Resources Secretary to Dhaka last August, just last month (February 2020), both sides exchanged updated information on the water flow of seven trans-boundary rivers. “We need to expedite harmonization of this data so that water sharing agreements can be finalised within this year itself,” Shringla said.

At a meeting in New Delhi on October 5 last year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Narendra Modi directed the technical-level committee of the Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) to expeditiously exchange updated data and information and prepare the draft framework of ‘interim sharing agreements’ for six rivers -- Manu, Muhuri, Khowai, Gumti, Dharla and Dudhkumar -- and to firm up the draft framework of interim sharing agreement of the Feni River.

Sheikh Hasina highlighted that the people of Bangladesh are awaiting the signing and implementation of the framework of interim agreement for the sharing of the Teesta, as agreed upon by both governments in 2011. Narendra Modi informed that his government was working with all stakeholders in India for conclusion of the agreement ‘soonest possible’.

On border killing, Shringla said at the seminar that any death is regrettable. “There’s 50-50 in terms of Bangladesh and Indian nationals getting killed on the border,” he said, sharing that statistics. He said the issue is consistently coming up in Bangladesh-India relationship and mentioned the criminal activities that take place along the border.

“It is the responsibility of border forces on both sides to ensure that the border is respected and the place is kept safe stopping criminal activities,” he said.  “Despite that there’s a fair amount of criminal activities that happen. Every death on the border is something that is a problematic issue,” he said.

He said Indian border guarding force faces lots of challenges, and there have been fair amount of attacks on border forces. Deaths on the border are not necessarily just confined to the citizens of Bangladesh, he said, highlighting the facts from other side of the border. “This is very completely stated position that one death is too many on the border.”

Shringla also talked on improving security, creating zero criminal activities, more cooperation, more joint patrolling and common border management plan, and bringing deaths zero level. He addressed the Rohingya issue in his speech and said there is also often interest and sometimes “uninformed speculation” about India’s position on the humanitarian crisis in Rakhine State of Myanmar, and its impact on Bangladesh.

“Let me clearly say that India is deeply appreciative of the spirit of humanism that motivated Bangladesh to offer shelter to nearly one million displaced people. And we fully recognize and sympathize with the enormous burden that you are facing,” he said.

 “As the only country that is an actual neighbour of both Bangladesh and Myanmar, we are committed to offering the fullest support for any mutually-acceptable solution that will enable the earliest possible return of displaced persons to their homes in Rakhine State and to a life of dignity. This should be done in a manner that is safe, secure and sustainable.”

 “We have provided five tranches of aid to the camps in Cox’s Bazar area through the Government of Bangladesh, and are prepared to do more.