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Sunday, September 12, 2010

[ALOCHONA] FW: [india-unity] "9/11 & conspiracy theories"



           With each passing year the pile of miseries brought on by the spectacle of 9/11 gets higher and the official
version of what happened and why becomes more threadbare in credibility.

              Prof. Ishtiaq Ahmed's   tame analysis is of little help in dispelling any one of the following contentions:

1. FBI says, it has "No hard evidence connecting Bin Laden to 9/11″
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13664.htm
2. The proof about 9-11
http://www.911proof.com/
3. 9-11 : "The more we research, the more doubt we"
http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blick.ch%2Fnews%2Fausland%2F9-11%2Fartikel45057&langpair=de%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools
4. 9/11 – ALL THE PROOF YOU NEED!
http://911review.org/brad.com/sept11_truth/9_11_-_all_the_proof_you_need.html
5. Bali Terrorist Attck – 'Moslem Terrorism' Is Fabricated By Intel Agencies
http://musliminsuffer.blogspot.com/
6. 9/11 : 'BOMBS INSIDE WTC'
http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/bombs_inside_wtc.html
7. 9/11 : London bomber's suicide video is 'linked to traitor'
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1922856,00.html
8. 9/11 : Photographic Evidence Showing Ziad Jarrah Was Not a 9/11 Hijacker
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/jarrah.html
9. At Least 7 of the 9/11 Hijackers are Still Alive
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/hijackers.html
10. Proof of Lies And Evidence Fabrication Against The Hijacker Suspects of 9-11
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/bukhari_hijackers.html
11. 9/11 : The Fake 2004 Bin Laden Video Tape
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/osamatape2.html
12. 9/11 : The Fake bin Laden Video Tape 2001
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/osamatape.html
13. 9/11 : Thermite and the WTC Collapses
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/thermite.html
14. The 9/11 WTC Collapses: An Audio-Video Analysis
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/9-11_wtc_videos.html
15. 9/11 Al Qaeda Tapes: Direct Link To Military Psyops And Donald Rumsfeld
http://infowars.net/articles/October2006/051006Rumsfeld.htm
16. 9/11 Autopsy: No Arabs on Flight 77
http://www.sierratimes.com/03/07/02/article_tro.htm
17. 9/11 Breaking News : Scientific Poll: 84% Reject Official 9/11 Story
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/October2006/141006poll.htm
18. 9/11 Fake Al Qaeda : The Phony (Mossad) – Al Qaeda Cell in Palestine
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/fakealqaeda.html
19. 9/11: The Frame Up Of Abdulaziz Alomari
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/9-11_alomari.html
20. 9/11: The Myth and the Reality, Conclusion
http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20060405143535564
21. BBC Footage 9/11:The Twin Towers Shows Positive Proof of Explosives
http://www.ricksiegel.com/web/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=119
22. 9/11 : Eleven (11) Questions Avoided by the Media in Recent Reporting
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364×1813362
23. 9/11 Firefighters: Bombs and Explosions in the WTC
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/911_firefighters.html
24. Israel Mossad : The secret story of Mossad and the World Trade Center attack
http://www.thewe.cc/contents/more/archive/mossad.htm
25. 9/11: Why do we believe Zionists are the masterminds of the September 11 attack?
http://www.iamthewitness.com/DarylBradfordSmith_ZionSummary.html
26. 9/11 News Videos Reporting WTC Explosions
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/9-11_wtc_explosions.html
27. Another Bush 9/11 Lie Exposed
http://www.lewrockwell.com/bovard/bovard27.html
28. Media hide truth: 9/11 was inside job
http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion/column/index.php?ntid=83698&ntpid=1
29. Spanish 9/11 conviction quashed
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/5037724.stm
30. The Five Dancing Israelis Arrested On 9-11
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/fiveisraelis.html
31. Are the Perpetrators of 911 still the 19 Arab Hijackers? Watch These Videos for answers
http://www.montrealmuslimnews.net
32. 9/11 Israel Link to September 11 Terrorism?
http://www.libertyforum.org/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=consp_911&Number=293967441
33. The 9/11 Hijackings
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/hijackers_9-11_truth.html
34. FBI Official File : Osama bin Laden
http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/terrorists/terbinladen.htm
35. Al Qaeda Tapes: Direct Link To Military Psyops And Donald Rumsfeld
http://infowars.net/articles/October2006/051006Rumsfeld.htm
36. U.S. Government Caught Red-Handed Releasing Staged Al-Qaeda Videos
http://prisonplanet.com/articles/october2006/051006redhanded.htm
37. Fake Al Qaeda The Phony (Mossad) – Al Qaeda Cell in Palestine
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/fakealqaeda.html
38. The Fake bin Laden Video Tape – YOU ARE LOOKING



Date: Sat, 11 Sep 2010 23:02:09 +0530
Subject: [india-unity] "9/11 & conspiracy theories"

 
http://www.viewpointonline.net/the-911-terrorist-attacks-and-conspiracy-theories.html

9/11 & conspiracy theories

Written by Ishtiaq Ahmed

Terrorism as a tool to challenge a state or some social and political order has deep historical roots in the politics of the world but from the late 19th century onwards it become attractive as an ideology to both extreme right and left wing political forces. Right-wing terrorism often times originated from within the establishment and was directed against revolutionaries, democrats and freedom fighters.

On September 11 2001 a series of daredevil coordinated terrorist attacks on symbols and institutions of U.S. economic and military power traumatised the United States. Such trauma would have been total had one of the hijacked aircraft hit the White House or the House of Congress instead of crashing in the fields of rural Pennsylvania. The attacks shattered the myth of U.S. invulnerability nurtured and cultivated over a long period on a confused mixture of geographical and technological advantages it supposedly enjoyed.  Suddenly it seemed the mightiest superpower in history was merely a paper tiger!
The fact that four commercial airliners were hijacked simultaneously and for several hours the hijackers were not intercepted and they hit most of their targets gave birth to a plethora of conspiracy theories whose bottom line was that the US government itself was behind them. The authors of such theories were both Americans and foreigners. The main motive allegedly behind the terrorist attacks was to create a justification for the invasion ofAfghanistan and Iraq and to secure US control of oil in the Middle East. Other motives mentioned were to embark upon a worldwide military campaign to consolidate the new world order, hinging on US hegemony, initiated by senior statesman and former president, George H.W. Bush.
In any event, the US immediately blamed Al Qaeda for the outrages because that organisation had been involved in a number of attacks on U.S. targets previously, including one on the World Trade Center in 1993 and on US embassies in two East African capitals in 1998. Moreover, the Americans claimed that a plot to attack targets in the U.S. had existed in a prolonged planning stage within the innermost circles of Al Qaeda.  Al Qaeda initially denied any involvement but when inculpating evidence began to be unearthed and some of its senior operatives were arrested and confessed their involvement, Osama bin Laden claimed responsibility for the attacks in a video clip. Meanwhile Saudi Arabia admitted that of the 19 hijackers 15 were Saudi citizens. The Americans also provided detailed information on some of the terrorists who had been receiving training at flying clubs and schools.
Yet the conspiracy theories have remained very much in circulation. Their greatest attraction outside the US has been the Arab Middle East but also the wider so-called Muslim world. The reason is that in the popular mind ideas of a US-Israeli plot to subjugate and humiliate Arab and Muslims still exist. The main reason was US support for Israel which was considered massively one-sided. Alongside such grievances two cataclysmal events in the late 1970s served as catalysts to Arab-Muslim radicalisation: the first was the coming into power in Iran of a rabidly anti-modern and anti-western theocracy that coined the rhetoric of U.S. being the Great Satan; the second upheaval was the US-Saudi sponsored jihad against the Communist regime in Kabul (since April 1978) and the Red Army which had marched in to help it take control of that country. Instead of endearing the US to the Muslims it boomeranged because those who had been indoctrinated to liberate occupied 'Islamic lands' from infidels now turned their guns against the US for being Israel's closest ally as well as for maintaining military bases in Saudi Arabia, the cradle of Islam. Consequently, Muslims in general saw the 9/11 terrorist attacks as something the US deserved for its misdeeds against Islam and Muslims.
However, when on October 07 2001 the US launched airstrikes on Afghanistan because the Taliban regime was not willing to surrender al Qaeda leaders, conspiracy theories took off forthwith. It now began to be argued that President Bush and his mentors such as Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld had in connivance with the Pentagon hatched a plot to invade and occupy Afghanistan. Television talk shows and newspapers began to churn out comments and observations of so-called experts who detected incriminating clues in the body language of Bush and his coterie of plotters.
Other theories that were projected included an ingenious Israeli plot to make the 9/11 attacks appear as a vile act of Muslims and thus turn the American public against Islam and Muslims. According to that theory, hundreds of Jews worked in the World Trade Center, the citadel of finance capitalism, but no Jew/Israeli was killed when the twin towers collapsed even and thousands of people trapped inside were killed. The reason was that the Jews had been warned not to go to work on 9/11. Some theories suggested that Israelis had been observed to be closely inspecting theWorld Trade Center buildings shortly before the attacks took place. Such behaviour was proof that Israel had carried out the attacks with their notoriously typical thoroughness and efficiency. Proceeding on such assumptions, it was theorised that even if all the terrorists were Arab Muslims and most of them were Saudi citizens they were either in the pay of the CIA and Mossad or had been hypnotised and drugged to carry out the attacks.
Nothing contributed more to strengthening these conspiracy theories than the decision of the Bush administration to invade Iraq in March 2003. That invasion did not enjoyed popular legitimacy in the West and many people doubt if it was legal in any reasonable sense. Former UN Secretary-General described it as unlawful. From the Muslim point of view it was the resurgence of a historical crusade.
It is not the purpose of this essay to prove such theories wrong though some comments are in order. Firstly, nothing can be more disturbing for a superpower than to be exposed as weak and vulnerable. Why would the US power elite want to do that? If the answer is: to occupy Afghanistan and Iraq then one must assume that such a conspiracy was hatched by morons and not by some evil power elite. Because even after slaughtering approximately 3000 of its citizens and injuring many more the intervention in Afghanistan has been nearly a disaster. And that in Iraq has done more harm to U.S. influence and popularity than any other act of a U.S. government because it received stiff opposition both within the West as well as among Muslims and even other nations.
With regard to the Israeli involvement, the reasons for discarding such a theory are equally compelling. No such plot to slaughter thousands of innocent people can be foolproof. Any leak or exposure is possible and imagine the Israelis being found party to the murder of innocent citizens of a state without which it cannot maintain its existence. There is no evidence to suggest that Bush or the Pentagon were thinking of switching their loyalties from Israel to the Arabs, so how can a plot meant to  blame the Muslims  help Israel gain greater support than what it enjoys already?
I shall now try to demonstrate that the 9/11 terrorist attacks were masterminded and ordered by al Qaeda and carried out by its global network of operatives. Terrorism as a tool to challenge a state or some social and political order has deep historical roots in the politics of the world but from the late 19th century onwards it become attractive as an ideology to both extreme right and left wing political forces. Right-wing terrorism often times originated from within the establishment and was directed against revolutionaries, democrats and freedom fighters. Left-wing terrorism held an attraction to those convinced that if the state and its supportive institutions such as the church were attacked the social and political orders would collapse and people would be liberated from the yoke of organised authority.
In the late 19th century left-wing Russian anarchists used terrorism as a strategic weapon against the Czarist Empire; even as recently as the late 1970s such ideas attracted some marginal revolutionary groups such as the German Baader-Meinhof and the Italian Red Brigades. Left-wing anarchism is premised on the assumption that if the state is exposed as a paper tiger it will set in motion chain reactions that result in a spontaneous mass uprising, which in turn will mean that the state disintegrates and people are liberated from all forms of oppression. It is important to keep in mind that mainstream anarchist movements are not in favour of force and terror even though the state and other institutions of authority are considered oppressive and negative entities.


Some analysts, however, look upon al Qaeda as an Islamist vanguard party comparable to the Communist Party founded by Lenin. The idea of a vanguard party that Lenin advanced was that a group of dedicated revolutionaries can capture state power, and from that vantage point provide leadership to the working class to take part in a great societal experiment to transform a capitalist or feudal society into a socialist one.
Al Qaeda bears the hallmarks of a secretive, terrorist anarchist party and movement that may consider itself a vanguard of an Islamist revolution that will sweep all over the Muslim world as well as the wider world beyond it. Notwithstanding its roots among a band of dedicated cadres and leaders removed from state power and therefore representing what is being described currently as a non-state actor it represents a right-wing Islamo-anarchist movement that intends to liberate Muslims from the real or perceived domination by the Christian West and its Jewish and Hindu sidekicks, and placing them under the yoke of totalitarian Islam. It is therefore a peculiar type of anarchist terrorism.
The 9/11 terrorist attacks were meant to demonstrate that the US was not invincible. To a large extent such attacks have carried negative ramifications for the world capitalist economy, and since then the power and might of the US is perceived to be waning. However, as in the past and now again, terrorism has not sufficed to bring down a state or a social and political order. There has been greater radicalisation of Muslim societies and recruitment to terrorism is taking place not only among the poor and dispossessed but also from among the privileged and educated sections of society. Such trends, however, are still marginal to Muslim society. Moreover, the governments in the Muslim world are not willing to join the al Qaeda international jihad because it will bring them down as well.  Additionally, it will result in a military response from the US and its allies. Consequently, the 9/11 terrorist attacks have succeeded only partially if at all.


Muslims in the West have become an object of suspicion, this is especially accentuated when some individuals carry out terrorist outrages in the West or some plots are uncovered of planned attacks.  Right-wing anti-immigration and racist parties and movements in the West are the beneficiaries of such radicalisation of Muslims. There are fears that civil liberties and democracy in general will be curtailed in the West and in some cases such legislation is already in place.


Did Al Qaeda anticipate all this? I seriously doubt that. As in the past and now, terrorism alone cannot change or transform society or bring down a state, unless both are beset with irreversible decay and disintegration. There is no evidence to suggest that the West in general or the U.S. in particular is anywhere even remotely in a state of dissolution. All that al Qaeda has achieved is a movement towards the right in global politics as well as in regional and national politics. Al-Qaeda and their anarchist policies continue to diminish the political capital of Muslims residing within the West while flailing against the established governance within Muslim-majority nations.


The writer is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Stockholm University. He is also Honorary Senior Fellow of the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore. He can be reached at billumian@gmail.com

--
Peace Is Doable



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[ALOCHONA] Another one !!! Interview with a Bengali Cook on Pakistan TV




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vDhh39AZug&feature=related   < -----Episode 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku1AaarSv8k&feature=related  < -----Episode 2


On Sun, Sep 12, 2010 at 3:16 AM, Robin Khundkar <rkhundkar@earthlink.net> wrote:

Check this out!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41Oa5zMMbJg&feature=player_embedded


But whats with the black painted face! it must be quite jump to assume all Pakistanis are light skinned. But if you can get over the painted face, its worth a listen!


-----Forwarded Message-----
>From: Robin Khundkar
>Sent: Sep 12, 2010 3:01 AM
>To: Amitava Kumar , mananahmed
>Subject: Re: awesome or awful?
>
>Whats with the black painted face! I dont know what to think.
>Robin
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Amitava Kumar
>>Sent: Sep 11, 2010 10:52 PM
>>To: Robin Khundkar , mananahmed
>>Subject: awesome or awful?
>>
>>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41Oa5zMMbJg&feature=player_embedded
>>
>>
>>______________________
>>www.amitavakumar.com




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[ALOCHONA] INDIA, BANGLADESH EMBARK ON STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP SILENTLY



INDIA, BANGLADESH EMBARK ON STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP SILENTLY

By Uddipan Mukherjee and Rajeev Sharma

In today's world when nations make a song and dance about their strategic partnerships, India and Bangladesh have embarked on a hardcore strategic cooperation without saying so.

It seems that New Delhi has finally come out of its diplomatic cocoon, at least as far as its immediate eastern neighbour is concerned. A $1 billion credit outflow accorded to Bangladesh, interestingly; is the highest that both countries may contemplate thus far.

Though analysts may argue that such disbursal of funds by the 'big neighbour' was already in the pipeline as per the Joint Communique signed by Sheikh Hasina and Dr Manmohan Singh in January this year when the former paid a visit to New Delhi, her first ever after coming back to authority in 2009. Nevertheless, Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's rendezvous with Hasina at Gano Bhaban on August 8 merit attention. It gave a practical shape to diplomatic formalities and provided meaty substance to dry rhetoric. It was a reality, a rather fruitful one for both the nations and not a chimera.

There is no gainsaying the fact that Bangladesh holds both geo-strategic and concomitantly geo-economic significance for India. If New Delhi needs to permanently strengthen its strategic hold in South Asia, then forging amiable relations with the countries in its backyard is an imperative. More so, when India has to tread cautiously with belligerent states lurking around; with China and its Pakistani proxy deserving an obvious mention in this regard.

On the other hand, Dhaka has to be pragmatic. Fomenting Islamic Fundamentalism and churning anti-India tirade at the behest of countries which are separated from it geographically, linguistically as well as ethnographically would imply a further detachment from reality. Moreover, acting as a satellite state of 'upstart' regional powers is sure to lead Bangladesh to yet another 'failed state' for the worse and destabilise it at best.

However, if the two countries can maneuver their ties in the present manner, then their diplomatic boat would not be rudderless; at least in the foreseeable future.

The Hasina Era

Ever since Sheikh Hasina won the parliamentary elections in Bangladesh on December 28, 2008 and assumed office as Prime Minister on January 6, 2009 for the second time (her first tenure was from 1996 to 2001), new vistas have opened up in Indo-Bangla relations. Actually, bilateral relations between New Delhi and Dhaka had touched rock bottom during the second tenure of the then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia (2001-06). It was no clandestine affair that during Khaleda's period, Islamic Fundamentalists found a new haven in Bangladesh in a post 9/11 world.

Begum Zia's second tenure was virtually a proxy of Islamabad and the ISI. In fact the latter was never more powerful in that country than in those five years. This was also the time when the 'Chinese Dragon' could spout fire in Bangladesh.

Apart from 'political fate', Pakistan and China would surely blame both Hasina and to a large extent Pranab Mukherjee for the present heightened bonhomie between the two nations which does not augur well for either of them.

In fact, such is the level of synergy and proximity between Sheikh Hasina and Mukherjee that when the latter took over as the Indian Finance Minister, Hasina set aside all protocol and rang him up to congratulate him.

The Hasina government didn't belie Indian expectations and this unprecedented line of credit by India has to be interpreted in that light. It took firm action against anti-India terrorist outfits on its soil and ordered a heavy clampdown over those groups in the last couple of years. That kind of action has led to the arrest of over a dozen suspected Islamic militants belonging to outfits like Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT). Incidentally, the LeT, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami (HuJI) are among the 15 foreign terror groups who were active or may be still covertly operating in Bangladesh since 1991.

The Deal

Scrutinising the Indo-Bangla one billion US dollar deal more closely, one finds that India's diplomatic acumen was at its recent best. For instance, the main terms and conditions of the credit line agreement, inter alia, include a low fixed rate of interest of 1.75 per cent per annum. It necessarily reflects India's magnanimity on one hand and supposedly a reverberation of the "Gujral Doctrine" in our foreign policy portfolio on the other. The said principle notes that India should stop 'calculating' relationships with its immediate neighbours based purely on a precept of 'mutual reciprocity'. Rather India should shower benefits so as to generate goodwill among the masses of the concerned country.

However, a half percent commitment fee per annum on unutilised credit after 12 months from the date of approval of the contract adds a 'business colour' to the whole programme of apparent largesse. Nonetheless, a 20 years' repayment period including a grace period of five years is by all means a superlative rapprochement scenario for the two countries.

While finally formalising this deal in Dhaka last month, Mukherjee emphatically declared that "this one-billion-dollar line of credit is the largest ever amount given by India to any country." He also meant business through the assertion that "I am confident that this credit line will be the stepping stone for a shared destiny and will transform our bilateral engagement."

India's Soft Diplomacy

India definitely has taken a page out of America's diplomatic notebook (not the "Counter Insurgency" notebook though). If New Delhi is seriously keen to establish a 'Pax Indica' in her neighbourhood and firmly proclaim its dominance vis-à-vis China, then these kinds of diplomatic maneuvers are essential. They say: 'when you cannot defeat them, just buy them'. And in Bangladesh's case, they are ready to be coaxed and molycoddled. There is no rationale for a cassus belli.

Interestingly, India has enlisted a set of 14 projects, primarily infrastructural, under this rubric of Line of Credit. And though it has not set deadlines on any of them, a commitment fee per annum itself is a countervailing measure against procrastination. Furthermore, the envisaged projects shall be an augmentation of Bangladesh's roadways, railways, port facilities and inland water system, among others.

It is evidently clear that post 9/11, India has embarked on a spirited path of 'soft diplomacy' in South Asia. Afghanistan was first and now Bangladesh. In the former, India has put in almost a similar amount but in a phased manner whereas in this case, it seems to be in a hurry. Actually, India is better prepared now than it was in Afghanistan and hence the results. It has been reported that India's soft diplomacy in the 'land of the Buzkashi' has earned it goodwill amongst the ordinary populace. And consequently Islamabad fears marginalisation in Kabul much more now than before.

Former Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor opines that India's greatest asset in Afghanistan is its exhibition of 'soft power'. Indian films and soap operas enthral the plebian in 'the land of Abdali'. Scholastically speaking, this may be interpreted as a sort of 'invasion' on the "superstructure" as per Gramscian scheme of things.

And for Bangladesh, this cultural syncretism is evidently clear and does not need to be stressed further upon.

Thus New Delhi's endeavour is exactly in that direction: to extract goodwill and respect from the citizenry of its immediate eastern neighbour. And with a friendly regime enthroned in Dhaka, life is much easier for South Block. Moreover, the fulcrum of bilateral relations between the two countries, at present is undeniably our 'cold headed' politician 'Pranab-da' under whose guidance and philosophisation, the engines of economy, trade, commerce, energy et al. is expected to run smooth without periodic lubrication.

Other Developments

To add, very recently, on September 8 2010, India and Bangladesh finalized a railway link agreement to improve connectivity. The link will reduce the distance between Agartala and Kolkata via Guwahati from an arduous 1200 km to just 519 km.

There is also the proposed 13 km long Akhaurah-Agartala railway link, 5.4 km of which would be in the Indian territory. It is to be financed by India. This was agreed upon during the last visit of Sheikh Hasina in January 2010.

Role of the Army

Somewhat surprisingly, Bangladesh Army also deserves encomiums regarding the present harmonious relations between the two countries. It had a major role to play in subduing Islamic Fundamentalism during the Caretaker Government (CG) period of 2007 to January 2009. And the most significant thing it has done is to implant, not only in the psyche of its own people but also in the minds of its neighbours; that a coup d'etat might not be a distinct possibility whenever there is a political turmoil; quite unlike that in Pakistan.

The way present Hasina government could handle the upsurge of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) in Feb 2009; barely a month after her re-incarnation, bespeaks the covert as well as overt support provided by the Army.

Contentious Issues

Though India and the Hasina government (present as well as past) have taken positive steps to ensure that the problematic bilateral issues are resolved; few things still remain unsolved.

For instance, the proper fencing of the 4096 km long land boundary is yet to be fruitfully achieved. It is one of the perennial problems that India, especially the province of West Bengal, faces with regard to illegal migrants from Bangladesh. The decision to settle the matter was reportedly taken at the highest political level in India on the eve of Sheikh Hasina's visit to New Delhi. But Manmohan Singh said that small disagreements cannot be allowed to come in the way of a dynamic relationship.

During the Home Secretary level talks in Dhaka (Dec 2009), India had offered a comprehensive agreement to Bangladesh --demarcating the remaining 6.1 km of the 4096 km long boundary, plus settling the matter of adverse possessions and enclaves. Factually speaking, India holds as many as 111 enclaves within Bangladeshi territory amounting to some 17,000 acres of land while Bangladesh holds some 51 enclaves amounting to about 7000 acres in India.

India has now agreed in principle to cede control over its enclaves, even though the difference is about 10,000 acres in Bangladesh's favour. In other words, once the negotiations are complete, the Indian enclaves in Bangladesh's territory would be absorbed in Bangladesh and vice-versa.

The Balance of Trade is skewed towards India which Bangladesh laments. Only 1 per cent of India's imports are from Bangladesh whereas around 20 per cent of Bangladesh's imports come from India. Closer economic ties between the two countries can offset this huge trade imbalance which can be addressed through greater Indian investment. Bangladesh Government has evinced keen interest in reconsidering investment proposals of the Indian business conglomerate TATA in this regard.

India Trade Fair (ITF) and North East India Trade and Investment Conclave were organised in the Feb 24-28, 2010 in Dhaka. The initiative was intended to attract Indian investment in Bangladesh and it helped the entrepreneurs to explore opportunities.

Bangladesh welcomed the position of the Government of India on reduction of a number of items from India's negative list. The Joint Communiqué issued after the Bangladesh Prime Minister's visit indicated that India would encourage import from Bangladesh. There are also indications that India would take steps expeditiously for removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers and port restrictions faced by Bangladeshi exporters. Bangladesh, on the other hand, has agreed to the Indian request for introducing 'Border Haats' (haat in Bengali means market).

Another facilitation that India has offered to Bangladesh is connectivity to Nepal and Bhutan through its territory. Trucks from Bhutan and Nepal would enter 200 m into Zero point at Banglabandha-Phulbari land customs station. This would boost trade activities for Bangladesh.

On the other hand, Bangladesh agreed to the Indian proposal to facilitate movement of containerized cargoes by rail and water. In the last week of February 2010, an Indian team visited Bangladesh to discuss the possibility of movement of container cargoes through railways and waterways. A joint group of customs meeting was held in New Delhi and various steps were taken for entry of Bangladeshi products to India.

Another problem zone for the two countries is with distribution of river waters. Interactions between the two countries are being held regularly under various institutional mechanisms. The 37th Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) meeting was held in New Delhi in March 2010 and it will continue to be held regularly to reach broader understanding on the water related issues for greater welfare of both the peoples. A mechanism has been set in motion to facilitate an understanding on sharing of waters of Teesta and other common rivers.

On the Tipaimukh dam issue, which has generated controversies in Bangladesh, India has made it abundantly clear that it would refrain from doing anything that might harm the interests of the other party.

Conclusion

A common thread of pluralistic culture runs between the two countries and their peoples. Both the countries share the legacy of the visionary Rabindra Nath Tagore. Naturally, Bangladesh has expressed a desire to establish a Cultural Center in New Delhi to promote and showcase its cultural heritage.

Importantly, Bangladesh has conveyed support to India's candidature for permanent membership of the UN Security Council as and when the reform of UN Security Council takes place.

Thus, it may be inferred that the present camaraderie between the two nation-states is expected to herald a new era of bilateral relations. In that venture, keeping in mind China's ominous forays into Chittagong, and Pakistan's latent presence through a religious and cultural jihad; India has embarked on the right path of Realpolitik, albeit in a benevolent and apparently libertarian manner.

Hasina's second innings has made Indo-Bangla relations creditworthy (pun intended). And if soft loan diplomacy is the food of love and cooperation, bring it on. Keeping an eye on China, India needs to replicate its Bangladesh model of soft loan diplomacy in its near abroad, with a laser beam focus on neighbours like Bhutan, Myanmar and Vietnam.

http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/%5Cpapers41%5Cpaper4032.html


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[ALOCHONA] Fwd: Hindu temple in Ctg vandalised



------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Zoglul Husain

 
We utterly condemn this mindless and repugnant act of vandalism. As reported here: Mihir Das, joint general secretary of Gosaildanga Shwashan Kalibari Temple Committee, told bdnews24.com, "Five to six drunken youths led by gangster Masud of the neighbouring area vandalised the temple." 
 
The police must thoroughly investigate the incident to determine whether this is an act by some drunken individuals or whether these reported thugs have been used by some others with ulterior motives, and bring the culprits to justice.
 
We strongly condemn Islamophobia and likewise we strongly condemn Hindu-phobia or any other religion phobia, in all its forms and manifestations.    
 

Date: Sun, 12 Sep 2010 05:27:12 +0600
Subject: Hindu temple in Ctg vandalised
From: bdmailer@gmail.com

Hindu temple in Ctg vandalised
 
Chittagong, Sep 11 (bdnews24.com)—Miscreants at Gosaildanga in Chittagong rampaged a Hindu temple, the police say.

Eyewitnesses said some six youths led by one Mohammad Masud of the adjacent Muslim-dominated area stormed the temple in the port city around 10:45pm by breaking iron gate and wooden doors. They smashed several idols including those of Lord Narayana, Shivalinga and Ghaut, and utensils there.

Thousands of Hindus of the area took out a procession demanding arrest and punishment of those responsible. Mihir Das, joint general secretary of Gosaildanga Shwashan Kalibari Temple Committee, told bdnews24.com: "Five to six drunken youths led by gangster Masud of the neighbouring area vandalised the temple." Bandar Police Station officer-in-charge Rejaul Karim and local ward councillor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury went to the scene hearing of the incident.


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[ALOCHONA] Check this out!!! Interview with a Bengali Cricketer on Pakistan TV



Check this out!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41Oa5zMMbJg&feature=player_embedded


But whats with the black painted face! it must be quite jump to assume all Pakistanis are light skinned. But if you can get over the painted face, its worth a listen!


-----Forwarded Message-----
>From: Robin Khundkar
>Sent: Sep 12, 2010 3:01 AM
>To: Amitava Kumar , mananahmed
>Subject: Re: awesome or awful?
>
>Whats with the black painted face! I dont know what to think.
>Robin
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Amitava Kumar
>>Sent: Sep 11, 2010 10:52 PM
>>To: Robin Khundkar , mananahmed
>>Subject: awesome or awful?
>>
>>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41Oa5zMMbJg&feature=player_embedded
>>
>>
>>______________________
>>www.amitavakumar.com



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