Indian President Pranab Mukherjee will visit Bangladesh from March 3-5, and meet Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to review the bilateral relations. The two sides are expected to sign the Teesta Water Sharing Accord, and review the Land Boundary Accord (signed in 2011) – the implementation of which has faced delays owing to opposition from West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
During this three-day visit – which is also Mukherjee’s first visit abroad since he assumed office in July 2012 – Dhaka will honour Mukherjee for his contribution to the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971.
As reciprocation to Pranab Mukherjee’s visit, Sheikh Hasina will visit India in September 2013.
The India-Bangladesh bilateral relationship has been on an upswing. There have been two bilateral visits – by Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai and Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid – to Dhaka in February alone. During his visit, Salman Khurshid reiterated New Delhi’s intent to implement earlier decisions on the Teesta Accord and the boundary demarcation agreement, as also reduce the number of shootings by the BSF at the border, to zero.
Given the ongoing unrest inside Bangladesh, India must fulfil these assurances expeditiously so that the value of good relations with India becomes a vote-getter for the Sheikh Hasina government – which has been helpful in curbing terrorist groups in the North East operating out of Bangladesh – in the forthcoming elections this December.
Although India and Bangladesh share deep historic, cultural, and political ties, our bilateral trade stands at $5 billion – which is less, given that geographically, we are neighbours. We are also plagued by cross-border terrorism, and similar issues. Hence, in order to enhance the existing ties, recently, both sides signed Memorandums of Understanding to expand the transportation facilities between the two nations, and to establish the ‘India-Bangladesh Foundation.’