ARMY CHIEF'S IMPRESSIVE INDIA VISIT
Irritants with India remain unresolved
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Sadeq Khan
After the Army Chief General Moeen U Ahmed returned to Dhaka concluding his six-day India visit, an ISPR press release on March 2 quoted General Moeen to have told Indian military and civil leaders that "the relations between India and Bangladesh were founded in the battlefield."
Indeed they were during the heady days of liberation war of Bangladesh, but they became strained under Indian hegemonic postures, upstream water diversions, and marine and land border clashes, to name just a few of the irritants to bilateral ties that sorely affect the public mind in this country.
Indian power rudely showed its teeth by driving away under threat of arms the survey vessel of a Canadian oil exploration company that obtained Bangladesh Government's rightful concession to explore hydrocarbon deposits in a marine block bordering our territorial waters. That happened in 1974 near the newly accreted island of South Talpatti claimed by Bangladesh and disputed by India.
And on land borders, even as General Moeen was being accorded a warm welcome in Delhi, at least three innocent Bangladeshis were killed by trigger-happy Indian Border Security Forces firing across barbed-wire fences in six days.
The human rights watchdog 'Odhikar' of Bangladesh reported in its March 1 monthly report: "One Bangladeshi was killed by India's Border Security Force every two days and a half on an average, taking the number of such death to 12 in February. Odhikar also said four Bangladeshis were reportedly injured and three allegedly abducted by the Indian border guards in February.
The killings and abductions were carried out against the backdrop of repeated Indian assurance from different levels of putting an end to such incidents." In the earlier month three Bangladeshis were killed by BSF in one day on January 31 in our northern borders.
The official itinerary of General Moeen's India visit was described in the ISPR release, among other things, as follows: "General Moeen visited India from February 24 to March 1 on an invitation from the Indian Army Chief, General Deepak Kapoor.
"General Kapoor recalled his active participation in Bangladesh's war of independence in 1971 as a captain. In reply, General Moeen mentioned all cooperation and sacrifice of India in the war of independence and expressed his gratitude.
"Matters of facing natural disaster, UN mission, earthquake, floods and training of army came up for discussion during the meeting. He was also apprised of Indian army matters. General Moeen called on the acting Indian naval chief, Vice Admiral Nirmal Bharma, and discussed professional training of Bangladeshi naval officers in India. Vice Admiral Nirmal proposed joint naval exercises between the two countries.
"On February 26, General Moeen visited different training centres, including Indian Military Academy.
"On February 27, General Moeen reached the Naval Base in Goa and visited two signal training centres the following day. Later, he went to Kolkata in the evening. He later witnessed preparations for Dhaka-Kolkata rail communications at Gede Railway Station. He was given guard of honour by a smartly turned-out contingent of the BSF on February 29. He returned home on March 1."
During his courtesy engagements with civil leaders of the Indian government, the ISPR release noted General Moeen's substantive exchanges as follows: "General Moeen attended a luncheon hosted by the Indian minister of state for commerce, Joyram Ramesh, and requested him to export 500,000 tonnes of rice to Bangladesh as well as to invest in Bangladesh's IT sector.
"He also discussed matters of various bilateral issues between the two countries with the West Bengal chief minister, Buddhadev Bhattacharjee, in Kolkata".
As time goes, serious doubts are creeping up about whether India intends to or will be able to supply Bangladesh with 500,000 tons of rice in time to glean over the difficult days up to the next Boro harvest. Designated Bangladesh government agency signed an agreement with an agency of the Government of India in West Bengal for phased supply of the entire promised quantity of 500,000 tons within 75 days, with necessary approval immediately accorded by the Bangladesh Government. But Indian government approval came for only 50,000 tons.
Reportedly, the Government of India is now saying that in its directive, it had nominated five Indian government agencies for the supply of the entire quantity which the Indian Foreign Minister had promised on behalf of the Government of India to supply to Sidr-hit Bangladesh during his sympathy visit on December 1. Only the West Bengal agency responded to the tender of the Bangladesh Government for that supply and finalised the deal.
Now the red-tape in Delhi has come up with the objection that each one of these are entitled to supply 1 lakh ton spreading the source of supply to different rice-growing surplus areas in India. It is seen as a ruse to delay the supply by repetition of the tender process, negotiation and price escalation for 80 per cent of the promised supply.
Meanwhile, the international price of rice has gone up further, although internal prices and costs in India have not been significantly affected by the international price-rise. But wheat-eating population of India is in difficulties. Wheat is in very much short supply, notwithstanding Indian government imports at a high price. Nor has the declaration of a big waiver of bank debts for Indian farmers by the Government of India cheered up the gloom in the Indian agrarian community.
Indeed they were during the heady days of liberation war of Bangladesh, but they became strained under Indian hegemonic postures, upstream water diversions, and marine and land border clashes, to name just a few of the irritants to bilateral ties that sorely affect the public mind in this country.
Indian power rudely showed its teeth by driving away under threat of arms the survey vessel of a Canadian oil exploration company that obtained Bangladesh Government's rightful concession to explore hydrocarbon deposits in a marine block bordering our territorial waters. That happened in 1974 near the newly accreted island of South Talpatti claimed by Bangladesh and disputed by India.
And on land borders, even as General Moeen was being accorded a warm welcome in Delhi, at least three innocent Bangladeshis were killed by trigger-happy Indian Border Security Forces firing across barbed-wire fences in six days.
The human rights watchdog 'Odhikar' of Bangladesh reported in its March 1 monthly report: "One Bangladeshi was killed by India's Border Security Force every two days and a half on an average, taking the number of such death to 12 in February. Odhikar also said four Bangladeshis were reportedly injured and three allegedly abducted by the Indian border guards in February.
The killings and abductions were carried out against the backdrop of repeated Indian assurance from different levels of putting an end to such incidents." In the earlier month three Bangladeshis were killed by BSF in one day on January 31 in our northern borders.
The official itinerary of General Moeen's India visit was described in the ISPR release, among other things, as follows: "General Moeen visited India from February 24 to March 1 on an invitation from the Indian Army Chief, General Deepak Kapoor.
"General Kapoor recalled his active participation in Bangladesh's war of independence in 1971 as a captain. In reply, General Moeen mentioned all cooperation and sacrifice of India in the war of independence and expressed his gratitude.
"Matters of facing natural disaster, UN mission, earthquake, floods and training of army came up for discussion during the meeting. He was also apprised of Indian army matters. General Moeen called on the acting Indian naval chief, Vice Admiral Nirmal Bharma, and discussed professional training of Bangladeshi naval officers in India. Vice Admiral Nirmal proposed joint naval exercises between the two countries.
"On February 26, General Moeen visited different training centres, including Indian Military Academy.
"On February 27, General Moeen reached the Naval Base in Goa and visited two signal training centres the following day. Later, he went to Kolkata in the evening. He later witnessed preparations for Dhaka-Kolkata rail communications at Gede Railway Station. He was given guard of honour by a smartly turned-out contingent of the BSF on February 29. He returned home on March 1."
During his courtesy engagements with civil leaders of the Indian government, the ISPR release noted General Moeen's substantive exchanges as follows: "General Moeen attended a luncheon hosted by the Indian minister of state for commerce, Joyram Ramesh, and requested him to export 500,000 tonnes of rice to Bangladesh as well as to invest in Bangladesh's IT sector.
"He also discussed matters of various bilateral issues between the two countries with the West Bengal chief minister, Buddhadev Bhattacharjee, in Kolkata".
As time goes, serious doubts are creeping up about whether India intends to or will be able to supply Bangladesh with 500,000 tons of rice in time to glean over the difficult days up to the next Boro harvest. Designated Bangladesh government agency signed an agreement with an agency of the Government of India in West Bengal for phased supply of the entire promised quantity of 500,000 tons within 75 days, with necessary approval immediately accorded by the Bangladesh Government. But Indian government approval came for only 50,000 tons.
Reportedly, the Government of India is now saying that in its directive, it had nominated five Indian government agencies for the supply of the entire quantity which the Indian Foreign Minister had promised on behalf of the Government of India to supply to Sidr-hit Bangladesh during his sympathy visit on December 1. Only the West Bengal agency responded to the tender of the Bangladesh Government for that supply and finalised the deal.
Now the red-tape in Delhi has come up with the objection that each one of these are entitled to supply 1 lakh ton spreading the source of supply to different rice-growing surplus areas in India. It is seen as a ruse to delay the supply by repetition of the tender process, negotiation and price escalation for 80 per cent of the promised supply.
Meanwhile, the international price of rice has gone up further, although internal prices and costs in India have not been significantly affected by the international price-rise. But wheat-eating population of India is in difficulties. Wheat is in very much short supply, notwithstanding Indian government imports at a high price. Nor has the declaration of a big waiver of bank debts for Indian farmers by the Government of India cheered up the gloom in the Indian agrarian community.
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[Disclaimer: ALOCHONA Management is not liable for information contained in this message. The author takes full responsibility.]
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