The Home Minister of Bangladesh Dr. Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir will visit India from December 4-8. Accompanied by a nine-member delegation, he will meet India’s Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, hold talks to strengthen bilateral ties.
This visit comes at a time when India is expected to consider a Constitutional Amendment Bill for implementation of the India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement and Protocol – signed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his visit to Dhaka in 2011. If this Bill is passed, India and Bangladesh would have to return enclaves captured by the respective countries, during the Bangladesh Liberation War.
Among others, both sides are also expected to discuss issues like border security and cross-border narcotics smuggling. They will also review the implementation of the Border Management Agreement, and infrastructure development at the international border outposts.
Coinciding with this visit, India, in an attempt to enhance bilateral ties announced a Liberal Visa Policy for Bangladeshi citizens on December 3. There are speculations that agreements on extradition, border killings and smuggling will be signed during this visit.
Following his meeting with Shinde, Alamgir will visit the National Police Academy in Hyderabad – where Bangladeshi police forces are expected to start receiving training on capacity-building, soon.
Alamgir is the second Bangladeshi Home Minister to visit India this year. Earlier in February, former Home Minister Shahara Khatun met the then Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram.