Honour Indira-Mujib deal in mapping land boundary
Sheikh Rakib UddinLand boundary demarcation and its related matters is one of the long standing issues between Bangladesh and India creating irritants always in the way of improving their ties .This issue and other pending bilateral disputes that need fair and peaceful settlement for promotion of relation between Dhaka and New Delhi in all directions include demarcation of the maritime boundary, determination of the ownership of the South Talpatty island, the Tinbigha corridor, push in of the Bengali speaking Indian citizens in the Bangladesh territory ,shot dead of the innocent Bangladeshis by the Indian Border Security Forces and frequent intrusion of the Indians in Bangladesh for looting property, illegal harvesting crops and cultivating lands. Even a single issue of the burning problems never saw solution in last 40 years though the course of the history demanded to do it earlier as quickly as possible in the greater interest of the good neighbourly relation between the two south Asian nations .Bangladesh has been all along sincere and frank in maintaining warm relation with its closest neighbour in peaceful and mutually acceptable solution of all the disputes through dialogues and all possible means of diplomatic endeavours. But it is other side -the neighbour at the door never showed sincere approach to respond positively to the good gesture of Bangladesh .Now an encouraging development has appeared -the governments of the two countries have come closer than any time of the past to settle some of the pending issues .
All preparations are now underway to reach agreements for solutions of the two long standing issues - demarcation of the land boundary disputes and the sharing water of the Teesta river. The drafts of the agreements already completed and those will be initialed during Indian Prime Minister Dr Monmohon Singh's forth coming visit to Dhaka . The Indian Prime Minister is scheduled to pay an official visit to Bangladesh on September 6-7 this year at the invitation of his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina .
Bangladesh has a long land boundary with India measuring about 4,400 kilometers not demarcated but determined and internationally recognised on the line of the Noon - Nehru pact, immediately after liberation of Bangladesh. The land boundary of India and the then East Pakistan was determined and demarcated under an agreement signed by the then Prime Ministers of Pakistan and India in 1958. The historic Indira - Mujib treaty was signed in New Delhi on May 16 1974 clearly laying down the principles and the guidelines of demarcating the land boundary of the two closest neighbours. The land mark treaty was duly initialed by then Prime Minister of India and Bangladesh .As per the demand of the article 5 of the treaty, Bangladesh at its earliest convenience ratified the treaty in the parliament and started process to implement it showing utmost sincerity. On the other hand, India failed to manage a single scope to do so. This is not only the violation but also disregard to the international commitment and convention . This is not only a single case of such happening. Good offices and genuine desire articulated and shown by Bangladesh in dealing as well as solving its bilateral issues with its bug neighbour was never duly reciprocated by India.
The modus operandi of demarcation of the land boundary of the two Asian nations was clearly laid down in the Indira - Mujib treaty comprising 5 articles . The disputed sectors as identified in 15 sub clauses of the article 1 are Mizoram -Bangladesh Sector,Tripura-Sylhet Sector,Bhagalpur Railway Line,Sibpur-Gaurangala Sector,Muhuri River (Belonia) Sector,Tripura Noakhali/Comilla Sector,Fenny River,Tripura-Chittagong Hill Tracts Sector and Lathitilla-Dumabari. Most of these sectors are now under joint survey to demarcate the boundary line there. The work is scheduled to be finished by beginning of September when the Indian Prime Minister is due to visit Dhaka. The people of Bangladesh residing in those sectors along the borders are reported be building resistance to the works of the survey officials on the ground that areas within Bangladesh territory are forcibly taken over by India .Article 2 of the treaty says the government of Bangladesh and India agree that territories in the adverse possession in areas already demarcated in respect of which boundary strip maps are already prepared shall be exchanged within six months of the signing of the boundary strip by the plenipotentiaries .
According to the Article 3 of the agreement, the government of India and Bangladesh agree that when areas are transferred , the people in these areas shall be given rights of staying on where they are as nationals of the state to which the areas are transferred .Pending demarcation of the boundary and exchange of territory by mutual agreement , there should be no disturbance of the status quo and peaceful condition shall be maintained in the border regions .Necessary instructions in this regard shall be issued to the local authorities on the border by the two countries .
The sub clause 14 of the article 1 of the treaty offering a clear outline to bring about solution of the Tinbigha corridor issue lays down that India will retain southern half of South Berubari Union No.12 and the adjacent enclaves, measuring an area of 2.64 square miles approximately and in exchange Bangladesh will retain the Dhahgram and Angarpota enclaves. India will lease in perpetuity to Bangladesh an area of 178 meters near Tinbigha to connect Dahgram with Panbari Mouza ( PS Patgram) of Bangladesh. In the latest development in this regard, India has proposed construction of a flyover instead of handing over the corridor in violation of the treaty .Process of exchange of all the enclaves has been going in full swing now along with the works of final demarcation of the land boundary. Bangladesh has 51 enclaves in the Indian territory while India claims 111 enclaves in Bangladesh territory . Population census has been finalized in all the enclaves located in both the territories of the two countries where most of the people are reported to have optioned to continue as the citizens of Bangladesh.
The issues on sharing of the common rivers came up immediately after liberation of Bangladesh for reasons obvious as the 54 rivers originating from the Indian side flow throughout Foreign Minister .Abdus Samad Azad during his first official visit to New Delhi on January 5-9 took the privilege to raise the very vital issue on water sharing of the common rivers with the Indian government Prime Minister Bangabandudhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his Indian counterpart Indira committed to solving water sharing problems of the common rivers and developing water resources in the region .The commitment was given in the joint communiqué published following Sheikh Mujib's visit to Kolkata on February 6-8 in 1972, Bangladesh and India decided to establish the Joint River Commission (JRC) with a view to finding out formula for utilizing water resources in the region in fair and legitimate ways. Bangladesh and India also agreed on mutual and acceptable solution of water on sharing problems of all the common rivers when the then Minister for Water Resources and Irrigation Khondker Mustaque Ahmed paid on official visit to New Delhi and held talks the Indian External Minister Sarder Saran Sing. Following series of talks on various levels between the two countries Bangladesh and India signed the Ganges Water Treaty in Dhaka in mid 1990's allowing India to operate the Farakka barrage constructed disrupting the normal flow of an international river in violation of international laws and principles . Bangladesh has been experiencing bitterly the adverse effect the Farakka barrage has caused in its socio economic fields and climatic conditions - in dry season almost all areas of Bangladesh come under desertification.
All the rivers and its tributaries have lost its normal navigability posing a great threat to progress and prosperity of the country in general. The exact situation is very alarming that that India a upper riparian country has taken all out efforts to withdraw water from all the common rivers. All fear another death blow for Bangladesh is coming when treaty will be signed in Dhaka in the first week of September. All also apprehend it will add fuel to the flame, Another agreement on transit will be signed in during Saran Sing's forth coming visit to Bangladesh. The question on transit is not bilateral in real sense of the term . In a plain account, transit which is being used unilaterally imposed Bangladesh .Bangladesh which neither sought and nor wanted this hegemony always fights colonialism under any manner and will continue to do so in days to come defying all odds and obstacles.
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