Asian Highway no threat to Bangladesh sovereignty: Hasina Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has told parliament that Bangladesh will have sole control over its stretch of the proposed Asian Highway, rejecting the perceived threat to sovereignty from the highway's probable re-entry into India. While answering questions from the House on Wednesday, she said Bangladesh would have full control. "Our patriotism is not so fragile that we cannot protect our sovereignty. "Even though it will come from India and re-enter through Bangladesh, we will have the control of the huge highway which will connect other countries," Hasina said in reply to a supplementary question from Jatiya Party MP Mujibul Huq Chunnu. "No, we do not believe in the policy of remaining isolated contemplating a so-called fear: India will take our everything," the prime minister said. "The Asian Highway is an international network of routes. There is a propaganda that the highway will connect India from one corner to another. We have to clear the confusion. "It will not only connect Bangladesh with India, but also with Iran, Europe and the middle eastern countries. "Anyone can see the routes of the Asian highway with a Google search," Hasina said. "We will be snapped from the outside world if we don't get connected with the highway". The prime minister's statement comes in line with the recommendation of the parliamentary standing committee on communications ministry, which recommended choosing one of the two routes of the proposed highway. The first recommended route (AH1) is : Benapole-Jessore-Bhanga-Kanchpur-Sylhet-Tamabil. The other route (AH2) is Banglabandh-Hatikumrul-Tangail-Dhaka-Kanchpur-Sylhet-Tamabil. The main opposition BNP, which remained absent from parliament, has already said it is in favour of the third proposed routes of the Asian highway. That route is Mongla-Khulna-Jessore-Pakshi-Hatikumrul-Dhaka-Kanchpur-Comilla-Chittagong-Cox's Bazar-Teknaf. It says the first two routes will make Bangladesh strategically dependent on India. The BNP further says these routes will also violate the ESCAP's "connecting capital to capital" principle for the highway. Hasina said UN's ESCAP had already given green signal for Bangladesh's accession to the Asian highway in response to Dhaka's application to be added to the highway. She said the cabinet on June 15, 2009 decided to be added to the Asian highway considering huge potentials for trade and communications with the outside world. The prime minister said the BNP-led four-party coalition government cancelled the ESCAP proposal for the highway on the plea that India would extract transit facilities from Bangladesh. http://bdnews24.com/details.php?id=142248&cid=2 |
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