Bangladesh Government has assured India that its soil would not be used for nurturing Insurgency in India. Earlier it has sent back many Indian insurgents who had taken shelter in that country.
“Under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, insurgency activities by those who had taken shelter in Bangladesh has totally come down, and many insurgents we have sent back,” said Awami League MP Tofail Ahmed who was at New Delhi on Friday.
“There is no sign of any insurgency in Bangladesh,” said Ahmed, addressing the media at the India n Women’s Press Corps.
He said the issue was discussed between the prime ministers of both countries, Manmohan Singh and Sheikh Hasina, and also with opposition leader Khaleda Zia during her visit to India.
“We both are totally united on this – that we will not allow insurgency and terrorism in our country,” said Ahmed.
After the Awami League came to power in January 2009, a large number of United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) leaders including Arabinda Rajkhowa, Raju Baruah, Shoshodhar Chowdhury, Chitraban Hazarika and Progoti Deka were handed over to Indian authorities along with their wives and children.
Though Bangladesh authorities did not officially confirm the handing over, the ULFA leaders were shown to have been arrested within the Bangladesh-India border by the Indian Border Security Force.
The two countries are currently negotiating ways to hand over top ULFA leader Anup Chetia, who is in a Bangladesh jail. India-Bangladesh Home Secretary-level talks were held in Dhaka in October during which Home Secretary R.K. Singh and his Bangladeshi counterpart Manjur Hussain discussed issues related to infiltration, smuggling of goods and human trafficking.
Bangladesh Legislators also pressed for fast resolution of Teesta water Dispute between Bangladesh and India.
“India is too large a neighbour, but we must have good working relations to resolve issues that we have.. In the last 20 years, sometimes our relations went cool, but it was never disrupted.. The visit (of Zia) demonstrates that issues unresolved will be resolved with mutual resolve and engagement,” Bangaldesh Nationalist Party MP Moudud Ahmed said.
The failure to ink the Teesta accord during Manmohan Singh’s visit to Bangladesh last year was a “major disappointment”, said Tofail Ahmed, an MP of the ruling Awami League of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed.
The Teesta accord could not be signed after West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee at the last moment raised objections on the quantum of water to be shared.
“It is unfortunate that due to internal problems, the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, could not sign the Teesta accord… It was a great disappointment and very embarrassing for both India and the people of Bangladesh,” said Moudud Ahmed, adding that they used the event to attack the ruling Awami League over it.
“We request India to enter into the Teesta agreement… We value our friendship with India,” said Tarana Halim, an Awami League MP.
The parliamentary delegation met Indian parliamentarians and members of civil society and Indian media persons during their visit. The issue of “border killings” was also raised.
According to the Bangladesh team, a total of 48 Bangladeshi nationals have been killed by “trigger happy” personnel of India’s Border Security Force (BSF).
“Though the number of killings has come down this year, we want it become zero,” said Moudud Ahmed, adding that “these killings arouse a lot emotional outburst”. India and Bangladesh share a 4,096-km porous border.
“To shoot a person cant be accepted… We have been assured by the government of India that no shooting will take place, but it is continuing,” said Tofail Ahmed.
The issue of the Land Boundary Agreement was also raised by the team during its talks here.
“The Bangladesh parliament has ratified the agreement, but unfortunately India has not done it so far,” said Tofail Ahmed.
Manmohan Singh had inked the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA), an updated version of the Indira-Mujib accord of 1974. The accord’s ratification needs a constitutional amendment. The constitutional amendment to ratify the boundary agreement got the nod from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in July this year.
The team also raised the issue of the Taipamukh dam, being built by India in Manipur on the Barak river, to which Bangladesh has raised objections.