BNP prefers multilateral transit facilities

[BanglaBhoot]

Dhaka, Feb 6 (bdnews24.com) – BNP has said it is for expanding multilateral regional transit facilities under SAARC, rather than going for a bilateral transit treaty with India.

"It might prove suicidal for Bangladesh to actually afford India corridor passage in the name of bilateral transit," secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain said on Friday.

"On the other hand, if we try to establish an expanded multi-national transit network to be enjoyed by our neighbouring countries, looping in China, Myanmar, Iran and central Asia, it should benefit all the countries involved economically, through enhanced trade and commerce."

Delwar briefed reporters at BNP chairperson's Gulshan office in the morning on his party's position on the Bangladesh-India transit and the renewal of goods transportation treaty with India.

BNP's policymaking standing committee at a meeting chaired by party chief Khaleda Zia discussed the issues Thursday night.

Delwar warned, "If India is allowed corridor facilities under the guise of 'transit', Bangladesh will lose India as a market for her commodities, increasing the already yawning trade deficit further."

"We are terribly apprehensive about the government not sharing with the public the details of the envisaged transit treaty it plans to execute with India."

Delwar alleged the recently renewed freight-carrying deal with India had been executed on March 28, 1972.

Therefore, the commerce minister's claim that 'the agreement was executed during former president Ziaur Rahman's regime' is not true, he said.

"No new trade deal was executed during Zia's tenure. It was all renewals of the 1972 agreement, article 5 of which was never implemented as it concerned the much-debated 'transit' issue."

Delwar termed untrue the government's allegation that 'the BNP government in 1993 had given India transit facilities under SAPTA'.

"SAPTA is a multidimensional cooperation treaty, a component of the SAARC structure. The corridor pact under the guise of transit is out-and-out a bilateral issue to be settled," he explained.

Elaborating BNP's stance against 'transit', the BNP secretary general said, "The proposed transit treaty will jeopardise our sovereignty, national security and economic backbone, creating myriad socio-political problems."

"The north-east Indian rebels may carry out target-practice exercises within Bangladesh territories in case they take the Indian goods carriers plying our highways and railways to be actually transporting arms and ammunition to quell rebellions in the east."

Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, a BNP standing committee member, presented the 1972 Bangladesh-India Trade Treaty.

"The said treaty was signed by the Bangladesh commerce minister MR Siddiqui and his Indian counterpart LN Mishra. The treaty had since been renewed as required, leaving its article 5 concerning 'transit' aside," he said.

"But the present commerce minister hid truth and lied in the public saying that the treaty was signed during BNP's rule."

Former BNP lawmakers Fazlul Haque Milan, Shireen Sultana, Habibul Islam Habib and others were present at the briefing.

BNP prefers multilateral transit facilities :: Bangladesh :: bdnews24.com ::

 

[TopCat]

Does anybody know how to delete a post.. Seems like I posted twice the same post as I had click twice for my browser to make a move....

 

[TopCat]

BNP even does not know what they want. If they wanted multilateral treaty then why did they sign the bilateral treaty for transit with India in the first place? Second I dont see any multilateral treaty in near future, may be we have to wait another decade or so to do that like we waited 1.5 decades for submarine cable with BNP.
India is our biggest client in transit and transhipment issue. As long as we can keep them with us, I dont care who else comes along. Also BNP flew back and forth with Rengoon and did some bullshit lookeast policy for 5 years and what we got??? HORSE EGG??? could not even start the road that they suppose to build in Myanmar side whereas India is building the whole road infrastructure in Myanmanr. In this fast world you cant seat idle and other take away all your advantages and at the end you get nothing except your own rhetoric. What happend to the pipeline that India suppose to take through us??? we were delay dallying and now they are doing it through Bay of Bengal. Our stupid leadership were talking about taking transit for Nepal and Bhutan and they will give pipeline to India.. Did they ever think how much Nepal imports from whole world??? and Bhutan forget about it... we cant hold our breathe for these two stupid country whereas we are more worried for them than themselves...
WE NEED HARD CASH... AND WE NEED IT NOW.. cant wait for too long... Chinese ambassador and our communication minister already visited cox's bazar regarding trans asian rail road.. thats a good move... but our best shot right now which can be materialized tomorrow is giving transit to india.. so get it going .. and get other guys on board when they are ready...

Thanks MBI for opening this thread here ...

 

[BanglaBhoot]

‘Corridor’ in the name of ‘transit’ will be suicidal: Delwar

BD to pay for if India uses transit in curbing insurgents

Staff Correspondent

BNP Secretary General Kha-ndaker Delwar Hossain on Friday alleged that the present government is trying to give corridor to India in the name of transit.
Showing a copy of the agreement that was signed in 1972, Delwar said, "Article 5 of the agreement says that both governments can use their waterways, railways and roadways for commerce."

Yesterday commerce Minister has said that transit treaty was signed during BNP's government. Denying the commerce minister's statement Delwar said, "We had given transit to India under SAFTA and it is a multilateral cooperation agreement under the framework of SAARC, but corridor is completely a bilateral agreement."

He said that there are lots of problem with India like enclaves, maritime boundary, Ganges water and border violence by BSF.

"The problem of enclaves between Bangladesh and India are yet to be resolved, violating maritime laws, Indian war ship entered into Ban-gladeshi waterway just before election, we do not get sufficient water according to 'Ganga Water Treaty' and many innocent Bangladeshi are killed by BSF in border areas. We told the government to solve these problems first then think about transit," He said.

Delwar said BNP is not against the transit or corridor, "But not sacrificing our national interest and security. On the other hand, Bangladesh will lose huge cultivable land if corridor is given to India and we will not be able to achieve self-sufficiency in food."

Meanwhile, participants in a roundtable discussion on 'transit and taskforce perspective of Bangladesh" organised by Centre of Policy and Peace Studies at the National Press Club on Friday, observed that after getting transit facilities, if India uses it for the purpose of combating liberation seeking insurgents of its seven sisters, Ban-gladesh will have to pay for that.
Participants said insurgents in Indian northeast areas are demanding liberation since long. Law and order situation in those areas are being disturbed frequently. Around five lakh forces equipped with firearms have been deployed by India for controlling those insurgents but it fails and wants to do something for permanently demolishing these agitations by launching heavy military operations. "If transit is given, Indian forces equipped with heavy weapons and am-munition will pass through Bangladesh creating security problem for us," they added.

The government is also going to form a joint anti-terrorism Taskforce with India to combat criminal activities. If it takes place, clash between Bangladeshi and Indian forces will take places everyday. And then the country will turn into a battle field within few days. The state will bring on a calamity by its own imprudence, they expressed their grave concern.
Former Law Minister Moudud Ahmed said at first India will have to finalise the Ganges Water sharing agreement, free enclaves at different bordering areas from illegal occupation, demarcate maritime boundaries and stop border violence. "If they can gain our trust through implementing these issues, later we might consider the transit issue," he added.

The former law minister further said the transit proposal was mooted when Ziaur Rahman was president of the country. An agreement was signed bet-ween Indian Commerce Min-ister and Bangladesh state Minister of Commerce at that time, but the agreement was postponed due to many complexities, he admitted.

leading news

 

[BanglaBhoot]

Businesses for comprehensive transit deal within the region


They favour inclusion of Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar

The country''s business community is neither against transit to India through Bangladesh, nor they fear competition with Indian products likely to emerge if the much hyped transit takes place, reports UNB.

But, they are apprehensive if India would implement the demands to be agreed upon in exchange of the transit through Bangladesh, according to a UNB news survey among the business community. Whatever the complexity, businesses want a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis before going for a deal in this regard. They also want the transit issue to be considered comprehensively taking Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar for free movement of goods in the region.

Commerce Minister Lt Col (retd) Faruk Khan has recently brought the transit issue to the limelight afresh, although the officials concerned as well as the business community here are not exactly aware yet what the transit actually means.

The business community, however, hinted that the Indian side has long been pressing Bangladesh for a transportation system that would facilitate taking goods from other parts of India directly to its northeastern states through Bangladesh territory - from Chittagong Port to Agartala and from West Bengal to Agartala.

"The business community is not negative (about transit) as it has some economic benefits," FBCCI president Annisul Huq told UNB on Friday. But, he is against rushing the transit issue forward.

"There are many other issues (of our interest), not only the transit."
The business community thought that any hasty decision in this regard would put Bangladesh''s interest on the back foot while political decision and mindset of the people are more important than the economic benefit.
"Let''s initiate talks on the whole issues," the FBCCI chief said, adding that there are many issues of interest from Bangladesh side that need to be resolved with India.

The news survey suggested deep mistrust against Indian attitude towards Bangladesh due to unresolved issues that included disrespecting water sharing treaty, BSF atrocity in the bordering areas, disregarding maritime boundary, Talpatti, demarcation of 6.5 km borders and Tin Bigha corridor.
Among the economic issues the business community raised were India''s stringent non-tariff barriers to Bangladesh products and denial of road transportation facilities from Banglabandha in Bangladesh to Kakarbhita in Nepal through the Indian territory called ''Chicken''s Neck''.

"Transit can be a good negotiating instrument that can facilitate Bangladesh to initiate talks with India on the pending issues," said the president of FBCCI, the apex trade body.

Whether local manufacturers would face extra competition from the Indian manufacturers due to the so-called transit, he said that at least two local manufacturers have so far reported that they are not scared about the competition as they have got edge over product quality.

Asked about the need for economic analysis, Annisul Huq said the business community does not have that strength to do such a huge analysis. However, some business leaders would sit together very soon to discuss the issue.

He does not think that India would come up with the issue during the visit of Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee scheduled for February 9.
Former FBCCI president Mir Nasir Hossain recommended a comprehensive
transit to facilitate free movement of goods within the region including Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar. "It''ll create a win-win situation," he said.
He does not support the idea that the transit would facilitate Bangladesh to reduce its huge trade gap with India. He does not also support the idea that Bangladesh would have to reduce the trade gap with India.

He, however, stressed the need for a cost-benefit analysis of the proposal to see the short and long term benefits.

"What we want is there will be no barrier to trade in India for Bangladesh," said Mir Nasir, chairman of leading industrial conglomerate Mir Group.
He said felt that Bangladesh''s export to India can be doubled or even more at this moment, if there is no trade barrier, as the country by now developed its strength in manufacturing products.

Bangladeshi products are enjoying the market of the northeastern states of India due to their quality and they have acceptability to the consumers of the region, Mir Nasir said.

He said the transit would also facilitate some Bangladeshi products to get market even of Western India if there is full market access in true sense. "Unfortunately, they (India) did not implement many trade issues earlier agreed upon."

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