With a friendly government at the helm of affairs in Dhaka, New Delhi is understood to have once again asked Bangladesh to deport Indian insurgents like ULFA chief Anup Chetia. It, however, did appreciate some of the steps taken by the neighbouring country to deal with anti-India elements operating on its soil.
Visiting Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, on her first official visit to India after the Sheikh Hasina government came to power in December last year, today held wide-ranging talks with External Affairs Minister SM Krishna on a variety of bilateral issues as well as international developments. She also held meetings with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
Official sources said border management, infiltration, illegal migration, sharing of waters and terrorism dominated the discussions between the two foreign ministers. Krishna is said to have impressed upon her the need for closer cooperation in combating terrorism and emphasised the need for intelligence sharing and closer coordination.
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao was also present at the delegation-level talks. The Bangladeshi delegation included Foreign Secretary Mijarul Quayes and Bangladesh High Commissioner Tarique Ahmed Karim.
Krishna praised the recent arrests of some Indian insurgents in Bangladesh while emphasising that more needed to be done by Dhaka to rein in the insurgent groups, which pose a threat to peace and security of India’s Northeastern states. He is also said to have taken up the issue of illegal migration from Bangladesh.
The Indian side used the opportunity to allay Bangladesh’s concerns over the controversial Tipaimukh Dam project, located near the confluence of the Barak and Tuivai rivers in Manipur.
Krishna told his counterpart that there would be no diversion of water and the project provided a ‘win-win’ situation for both countries. The Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has sought to use the dam issue to fan anti-India sentiments. In fact, the BNP had even boycotted a high-level delegation from Bangladesh, which visited India recently to inspect the dam.
Moni’s visit comes at a time when India’s relations with Bangladesh, marked by mistrust for years due to Dhaka allegedly providing a safe sanctuary to anti-India groups, have shows signs of looking up in recent days. Moni is here to do the groundwork for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India later this year.
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