Deals with Delhi must be challenged
M. Shahidul Islam
Sovereign foreign policy making is an arduous undertaking involving risk reduction and aiming to ensuring cost-benefit equilibrium. The haste and the alacrity with which our government is moving to meet all the Indian demands has reached an alarming pitch and meets none of those criteria. Stemming from a quasi-legal commitment outlined in the joint-communiqué of January 13, 2010, the absence of 'sustainable' follow up agreements and treaties make the moves illegal, and perhaps, unconstitutional. In international relations, such overzealousness often ends up with disastrous consequences, besides.
Since early 2009 when it assumed power, Dhaka had quietly allowed dozens of Delhi's secret service members to arrest leading ULFA separatists of Assam within out country, according to sources within the security establishments. Bolstered by AL's unflinching commitment (reached before the election) to ally with Delhi strategically, Indian army chief announced that 'India is ready to take on both Pakistan and China in a 'two front war' simultaneously.' That boon for Delhi posed as a thorn for the people of Bangladesh, as, in the weeks following, our nation started to bleed profusely.
Amidst the cajoling and coaxing of Dhaka with unjustified loan and other dangling carrots, our government did not even bother to see what the concerned officials or experts wanted.
For instance, then DG of the BDR, Maj. Gen. Mainul Islam, wrote to both the Ministry of Home and Foreign Affairs in early March this year to make diplomatic bids to stop Indian incursions along the Sylhet-Meghalaya border, informing the ministries that the BSF had intruded into Bangladesh territory in Jointapur eight times in 23 days, kidnapped BDR jawan, killed unarmed civilians, shot on sight Bangladeshi farmers entering for cropping in adversely possessed land, and, since February 4, Indian citizens were being escorted routinely by BSF to occupy Bangladeshi land. The letter cautioned that the situation along the Jointapur frontier began to deteriorate after BSF strength was reinforced by a battle-hardened battalion injected from Kashmir frontier with Pakistan.
Bid for annexation
It is distressing that the concerned ministries did nothing to stop such Indian incursions. According to Bangladesh's Directorate of Land Records and Surveys, Bangladesh holds 162 acres of adversely possessed lands in Jointapur upazila against India's 60.53 acres, which the BSF, along with tribal civilians, has been trying to capture since the border turned virtually undermanned following the BDR mutiny, resulting in at least 20 instances of gunfire exchanges since February 2010.
For instance, then DG of the BDR, Maj. Gen. Mainul Islam, wrote to both the Ministry of Home and Foreign Affairs in early March this year to make diplomatic bids to stop Indian incursions along the Sylhet-Meghalaya border, informing the ministries that the BSF had intruded into Bangladesh territory in Jointapur eight times in 23 days, kidnapped BDR jawan, killed unarmed civilians, shot on sight Bangladeshi farmers entering for cropping in adversely possessed land, and, since February 4, Indian citizens were being escorted routinely by BSF to occupy Bangladeshi land. The letter cautioned that the situation along the Jointapur frontier began to deteriorate after BSF strength was reinforced by a battle-hardened battalion injected from Kashmir frontier with Pakistan.
Bid for annexation
It is distressing that the concerned ministries did nothing to stop such Indian incursions. According to Bangladesh's Directorate of Land Records and Surveys, Bangladesh holds 162 acres of adversely possessed lands in Jointapur upazila against India's 60.53 acres, which the BSF, along with tribal civilians, has been trying to capture since the border turned virtually undermanned following the BDR mutiny, resulting in at least 20 instances of gunfire exchanges since February 2010.
This too is an unfinished legacy of the previous AL regime. One of the coveted targets of Indian forces being a strategic slice of land near the village of Padua which the BSF had occupied since the conclusion of the 1971 Indo-Pak war-despite India never making a claim on that land since 1947-Delhi aimed to turn the 95 hectares of land into a de facto adverse possession first, and tried to annex it in early 2001 when the AL was about to lose its grip on power amidst widespread mass discontent.
Fortunately for Bangladesh, the military aspect of the move proved to be a fateful one for Delhi. To deflect BDR's attention away from the real target, Indian forces launched an early morning attack on April 16, 2001 on the Boroibari BDR outpost (in Kurigram) along the Bangladesh-Assam frontiers, over 100 km to the west of Padua, which India calls Pyrdiwah. The BDR (then) being well prepared, violent confrontation ensued and 16 Indian soldiers died while 43 were reported injured and 15 becoming POWs.
Orchestrated moves
A similar scheme is underway once again to annex Padua. When Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan was busy on August 13 in inaugurating the 14th land port with India (at Akhaura) along Bangladesh-Tripura borders, he had little knowledge of what brewed on other side of the borders.
Orchestrated moves
A similar scheme is underway once again to annex Padua. When Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan was busy on August 13 in inaugurating the 14th land port with India (at Akhaura) along Bangladesh-Tripura borders, he had little knowledge of what brewed on other side of the borders.
Hours before his arrival at the sprawling newly-constructed land port site, Tripura police issued a red-alert against what it said possible infiltration from Bangladesh of guerrillas allegedly hiding inside the CHT jungles. One of the DIGs of Indian police, Nepal Das, informed on August 13 that "Jawans of paramilitary Tripura State Rifles (TSR) were deployed along with BSF personnel to guard the border to check infiltration of ultras from Bangladesh." The following day (August 14), Bangladesh- Meghalaya border witnessed massive deployment of BSF forces following Meghalaya's Home Minister, H.D.R. Lyngdoh, claiming that "about 10 to 12 rebels have sneaked into India from Bangladesh to disrupt the Independence Day celebrations in Meghalaya."
Yet, the visit to Dhaka of Finance Minister Pronab Mukherjee on August 7 added further momentum to fulfilling the remnants of the pipeline Indian desires. But that too did little to ebb Indian pressure- exertion against Dhaka. Coinciding with Foreign Minister Dipu Moni's on-site inspection of Benapole and Mongla ports last week to hasten the Indian connectivity designs, something more precarious started brewing across the borders. The Khasi Students' Union (KSU) and Federation of Khasi, Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP) of Meghalaya called on the Indian home minister, P Chidambaram, in New Delhi on August 13 and made a demand to hold a fresh survey to recover lands that are within Bangladesh.
Sources say the drama was orchestrated to compel Dhaka to sit for negotiations on matters that are historically settled. A reliable source maintains that the FKJGP team was goaded to the court of the central government in Delhi by federal minister of state for water resources, Vincent H Pala, who is a Meghalaya native. As such, more trouble is expected now along the 443 kilometers long Meghalaya-Bangladesh border, abutting resource-rich Sylhet and inhabited mainly by the Khasi, Garo and Jaintia tribals.
North-East connected
These engineered moves belittles Delhi's credibility before the world community and Delhi entertaining such demands tantamount to hurling insult against an over- friendly regime in Dhaka. Unless Delhi changes its stances, such miscalculated moves may pose grave danger to regional peace and security and put at risk the nation's inherent vision to stay equidistant from China and India. Besides, the series of major land ports being commissioned along the Tripura-Bangladesh borders have allowed Delhi to achieve what it had failed since 1947.
North-East connected
These engineered moves belittles Delhi's credibility before the world community and Delhi entertaining such demands tantamount to hurling insult against an over- friendly regime in Dhaka. Unless Delhi changes its stances, such miscalculated moves may pose grave danger to regional peace and security and put at risk the nation's inherent vision to stay equidistant from China and India. Besides, the series of major land ports being commissioned along the Tripura-Bangladesh borders have allowed Delhi to achieve what it had failed since 1947.
Delhi now has the ease and the comfort to reach the super highway NH 44 that enters Assam from Tripura via Karimgonj, before snaking onward through the entire Northeast, including Meghalaya, Assam, whole of North Bengal and Kolkata. As well, 84 per cent of Tripura's border being with Bangladesh, Delhi has made a real geopolitical dent by compelling Dhaka to allow the opening of so many land ports, construction of the Feni bridge to connect Sobroom with Chittagong port via Ramgar, obtaining trans-shipment and transiting facilities within Bangladesh, and, investing in port and infrastructure developments a staggering $1 billion which Delhi had imposed upon Bangladesh when it was least needed. The briskness of these moves prompted one expert to compare them with over speeding sport cars whizzing past a perilously constricted alleyway, inviting inevitable dangers.
That seems apt. An unprecedented aura of hurry-scurry remains the hallmark of such dealings. Lately, a team of officials from the Indian Railway Construction Company (IRCON) visited Dhaka and finalised alignment of the 13-km Agartala-Akhaura rail track to connect 5.4 km Indian track with 7.6 km Bangladeshi track to carry Indian goods from the Ashugonj port to Tripura. Vipin Jha, India's Northeast Frontier Railway's additional general manager, told the media that the ongoing work for railway network up to Sabroom would be completed by March 2014 and the proposed railway station would be just 75 km from Chittagong port in Bangladesh.
Communications ministry sources said India is going to extend railway network to two more places along its border with Bangladesh -- Sabroom in southern Tripura, 135 km from Agartala, and Akhaura in western Tripura, just 6 km from Agartala railway station.
Bangladesh operates regular train services on its side up to Akhaura and various other places, opposite several sub-divisional towns in the Indian state of Tripura.
During Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's January 10-13 visit to India, New Delhi agreed to provide grant for construction of Akhaura- Agartala rail line.
Bangladesh operates regular train services on its side up to Akhaura and various other places, opposite several sub-divisional towns in the Indian state of Tripura.
During Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's January 10-13 visit to India, New Delhi agreed to provide grant for construction of Akhaura- Agartala rail line.
India will provide $ 1 billion credit for a range of projects including railway infrastructure, supply of locomotives and passenger coaches, rehabilitation of Saidpur railway workshop and procurement of buses, and for dredging projects.
Bangladesh will procure 10 locomotives for its railway at a cost of $35.5 million. It will also purchase 125 broad gauge passenger coaches for the railway costing $53.6 million. Moreover, Bangladesh will buy 60 tank wagons worth $8.85 million and 50 flat wagons worth $4.55 million for the railway with the Indian credit.
Besides, a railway bridge will be constructed on the Titas River that will cost $120 million.
Officials mentioned that a survey was conducted in 1999 for connecting Agartala-Akhaura railway stations.
Bangladesh will procure 10 locomotives for its railway at a cost of $35.5 million. It will also purchase 125 broad gauge passenger coaches for the railway costing $53.6 million. Moreover, Bangladesh will buy 60 tank wagons worth $8.85 million and 50 flat wagons worth $4.55 million for the railway with the Indian credit.
Besides, a railway bridge will be constructed on the Titas River that will cost $120 million.
Officials mentioned that a survey was conducted in 1999 for connecting Agartala-Akhaura railway stations.
Bangladesh and India resumed regular train service in April 2008, after 43 years, through Darshana in Bangladesh and Gede in Nadia district of West Bengal. The service was suspended after the 1965 war between India and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, officials in Dhaka said India has agreed to give Bangladesh transit to Nepal through Rohanpur-Singabad broad gauge railway link. Bangladesh wanted to convert Radhikapur-Birol rail line into broad gauge one and requested for railway transit to Bhutan as well.
Meanwhile, officials in Dhaka said India has agreed to give Bangladesh transit to Nepal through Rohanpur-Singabad broad gauge railway link. Bangladesh wanted to convert Radhikapur-Birol rail line into broad gauge one and requested for railway transit to Bhutan as well.
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