Protest continues against India's pressure for transit

[BanglaBhoot]

"I think that India has been demanding transit facilities from Bangladesh for military purposes said Major General (Retd) Fazlur Rahman

Protest continues against India's pressure on Bangladesh to give transit facilities as on Wednesday, different organisations, Educationists, politicians and freedom fighters warned the government saying '14 crore people of Bangladesh will launch tough movement if the government responds to India's demand positively'.(The BD Today )

Leaders of Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Freedom Fighter Group (BJFFG) warned the government that they would resist if it shows keen interest to provide transit facilities to India ignoring mass people's opinions.

Addressing a press conference held at Khandoker Delwar Hossain's Nam flat residence in the city, leaders of BJFFG said that India is putting on Bangladesh for a long time to provide the country with transit facilities for its own interest.

"But the present caretaker government is yet to make its stand clear whether it will provide transit facilities or not during the bilateral meeting of Bangladesh-India foreign secretaries level scheduled to be held Thursday," they said.

"During the regime of different political governments, India had tried several times for getting approval of transit from Bangladesh but those governments did not respond to their demand. As the country is now under the state of emergency, the people would not be able to raise their voice against the government's move. Taking this chance, India again has started putting pressure on the caretaker government. If the government responds to India's call positively specially in transit issue, no emergency rule will be able to stop the people's movement," they said.

They further said "after a nine-month long liberation war, we achieved victory in 1971. If it is needed we will fight again to save our country's interest and sovereignty to foil the evil design and blue print of India."

Besides, if India is facilitated with transit by the caretaker government, Bangladesh will be attacked by ULFA activists and Seven Sisters who are engaged in fighting for freedom from India.

They said soon after independence, Bangladesh had made a request to India for using Kolkata port but India did not respond to Bangladesh call. "As both our sea ports Chittagong and Mongla had become unfit during the liberation war, our government had requested to India to use Kolkata port for six months but in reply India had said India would not give permission even for six hours," they said.

"The main job of the caretaker government is to hold the general election but ignoring the main responsibility, the government has been trying to divert the peoples attention from the election in many ways", they said at a discussion meeting on "Transit, Freedom, Sovereignty and National Security" at the National Press Club in the capital on Wednesday.

Terming the transit as corridor, Professor Emajuddin Ahmed, former Vice-Chancellor of the Dhaka University said, the caretaker government has no right to take any decision on transit issue. As it is a very sensitive issue, so the next elected government will take the decision in this regard.

"I think that India has been demanding transit facilities from Bangladesh for military purposes but it has been saying that it would boost economic and trade ties between the two neighboring countries", said Major General (Retd) Fazlur Rahman

The BD Today

leading news

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7 Reasons Why Bangladesh Should Never Allow Transit to India

By Abid Bahar, Canada

The issue is, the CTG is not an elected government and transit is an issue related to sovereignty, security and economic factors. The News Today Monday July 14 2008 reported: "The [CTG] government earlier was sympathetic about the transit issue. It was in a mood to propose to India to conduct a feasibility study on the rail transit but the Indian High Commissioner’’s public statement on this sensitive issue has forced the government to change its earlier position" the source said. Why should CTG show interest in it is question repeatedly asked in Bangladesh!

Why Bangladesh should never allow transit to India. Here are the reasons:

1. India has proven itself as an untrustworthy friend. During the liberation war, while helping Bangladesh liberation, it secretly built the Farakka dam. "Farakka was commissioned on permission from Mujib on the condition that it will have test run for only 40 days. But unfortunately those 40 days is yet to be finished (even after 37 years) and Bangladesh is getting the pinch of dry rivers. Further 54 other international waters were stopped by the friend of BAL making barrage/dams/ groins virtually making lower riparian country Bangladesh's rivers dry."

During Mujib time, the Rakkhi Bahini head was made an Indian. The jute head quarter was transferred to Delhi. With the Mujib -Indira Pact, river demarcation based on the mid current was made a farce. Bangladesh is losing land. It is now a serious problem. Mujib was persuaded to hand over the sovereignty of "BERUBARI" in return of "Tin Bigha."But Tin Bigha was never returned. A Berlin wall was built in Bengal to so-called stop Bangladeshis cross the border. India jammed the Bangladesh TV. As a matter of target practice, India regularly kills Bangladeshi jawans in the border region. Even before the investigation, India blames Bangladesh for terrorist actions within its borders.

"Due to sinking of several ships in Chittagong Port during Liberation War..., it was difficult to import ...essentials for war torn Bangladesh. Bangladesh requested India to just to allow using Calcutta Port for only six months in 1972. India refused the request." "Bangladesh wanted only 16 miles transit to pave for easy trade between two SAARC countries Bangladesh and Nepal." But it was refused. Now India wants 600 miles of corridor. Bangladesh should never allow transit to India.

2. Without the transit, India's seven non Indian sisters in the North East that now depend on Bangladesh for manufactured goods, but with transit, India will sell its own product to the region and Bangladesh will lose.

3. India doesn't want to allow Bangladesh to have land route with Nepal and Bhutan which is purely for trade purpose, India shows the excuse that it goes against its territorial integrity, using the same logic Bangladesh can not allow transit.

4. Financial benefit from transit fees would outweigh its other disadvantages. Bangladesh would risk destroying its own roads and highways, infect its citizens AIDS. Roads and highways will be neglected by the chauvinistic Indian traders and military personnel are passing through Bangladesh's heartland.

5. India is an unreliable keeper of promises. It failed to keep up to the signed treaties of Barubari/ Farakka. India first fix these problems than only trust building will lead to transit. RAW fed Indian chauvinistic government will never go for a fair deal because its sole purpose is to help Bangladesh into a failed state.

6. Transit through Bangladesh will allow India to increase its repression in its occupied North East. For such repression, Bangladesh suffered in the hand of Pakistan and now as a peace-loving country, it shouldn't allow India to increase its repression over its non Hindi/ largely Asian/ Christian and Buddhist minority people unfortunately made part of India. At the same time such a deal would make Indian separatists rebels make Bangladesh a target.

7. Indian treaties are politically motivated. While Mujib signed the Mujib-Indra Treaty 25 year treaty results in the beginning of trade deficit, water shortage, border issues dispute, and dependence on India resulting in the India friendly Mujib's unpopularity and within a short period of time made Bangladesh bankrupt, "the bottomless basket case" and brought his own death. If the past experience with India is a guide, it is believed that people in favor of transit to India are the ignorant India- lovers popularly known in Bangladesh as the "Indian Razakars" who are inviting trouble for Bangladesh. For such an issue we suggest for a national referendum. If people decide, let it be, if not, never!

Why the CTG to bother on the transit issue which the former two governments? It appears that the CTG was brought to power by groups aligned with foreign powers, one of them is India. The CTG brought to power through the excuse of anarchy. It seems it is showing its responsibility to its constituency-India.

It was through the AL led unrest and anarchy in late 2006-2007 that evaded the 90 days limit of the CTG duration. It appears that the CTG's corruption charges are not real but to have the minus 2 policy and to install a future Moin U military government! This is now evident in General Moin U receiving the Indian 7 horses.

As it appears, Bangladesh is infested with RAW agents and unrest in the cities and in tribal areas continues while countries like Vietnam and Singapore continues the pace of development.

If allowed transit within the country, it will be bringing crocodile through digging a canal. Once transit is given, Bangladesh will not be in a position to take it back. India is increasingly becoming powerful. It will kill Bangladeshis with the excuse of being terrorists or drug -dealers, as US does in Columbia with its puppet government. India also has super connection with the Super Power US- Israel. For Bangladesh, India is a danger in the making! Never allow transit to India!

India is building war fleets and torpedoes to keep its growing power from Africa up to Australia in the Indian Ocean. Without the transit, Bangladesh's existence is almost threatened but with transit, like the US-Pak former friendships, and today's Pakistan, Bangladesh will be a breeding ground for anti-US- Indian fundamentalism. Never allow transit to India!

Finally, why India is forcing Bangladesh's non-elected government for a deal? The answer is India is not a trustworthy friend. Its attitude is to create pressure and seek concession. Bangladesh to survive should never allow transit to India.

Bush’s New Cons in Bangladesh! Why Hasina is silent?

The other development that "US Marine Corps wants to survey BD-India border-Collecting detailed terrain intelligence. US has asked for detailed terrain information about major cities including Dhaka as well as for details of all airports and airstrips in Bangladesh." Who are these people taking advantage of the CTG government? Are these the Americans or Bush's New Cons? Link: The Bangladesh Today:

US Marine Corps want to survey BD-India border-Collecting detailed terrain intelligence
http://www.bangladesh-web.com/view.php?hidRecord=210183


Bangladeshis Unite!
Fight against the CTG for an Elected Government!
Save our Motherland Bangladesh!

Abid Bahar, Canada
E Mail : abidbahar@yahoo.com

http://www.bangladesh-web.com/view.php?hidRecord=210559

 

[BanglaBhoot]

By M.T. Hussain

The seventeenth July (08) meeting of the Foreign Secretaries of India and Bangladesh to be held in Delhi is known to deal and possibly settle issues among others one for making provision of direct land transit for Indian transports west of Bangladesh through to eastern territories of India. The Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Mr. Pinak R. Chakravarty stated to local reporters as well as to the VOA on the 9th July in Dhaka that as the transit would economically benefit both Bangladesh and India, it should be taken as such and is nothing to do with politics. On the BBC Radio Bengali program held at 07:30 a.m. next day in Dhaka, a former Bangladeshi diplomat went further on to assert that the transit, if acceded to India, would accrue a gain for Bangladesh as much as Taka 5,000 crore or 50,000 million in the first year, and in five years the gain might go up to 150,000 million Taka. The Bangladeshi diplomat further argued that the transit has to be done by the present Caretaker Government (CG) that is certain to close their term by December this year for the reality that no political government would do it.

Well, there are points for good gain for Bangladesh. The gain would not only be in terms of some employment but also in revenue earning. The question, however, would be of its worth in terms of possible losses, inconvenience and strategic vulnerability of defense.

Since independence, Bangladesh has been running at losses on many accounts due to many engineering from the Indian side. The imbalance of huge trade deficit against Bangladesh is a staggering matter. Among other huge losses went on recurring is in the account of ill effects of the Indian Farakka Barrage that was put into operation in 1974 that according an estimate stood at 49 lakh Crore Taka in terms of agricultural productivity losses, employment losses of fishermen and navigational boatmen, environmental degradation along the once mighty river Padma and its tributaries etc. Smuggling along the 2,500 KM long border between the two countries that goes on and on that not only cause recurring revenue losses but also adversely affect Bangladesh’s many promising growing industries. In sum, India keeps on every possible pressure having had her bigger muscle power to make the Bangladesh economy supplementary and complementary with India. The land transit would only increase India’s advantage further in money terms and hegemony with it.

Permitting land transit to India by Bangladesh should be preceded by transit question from Bangladesh to all countries in the subcontinent even extending up to the Middle East through Afghanistan just as the European countries have for mutual benefits. However, there is a lacuna in the proposition in that that if the roads and railway trucks are sufficiently strong enough in space and strength of construction feature to withstand the increased traffic. Whether Bangladesh’s roads and also the railway tracks built mainly on alluvial soil infested with heavy rainfall during monsoons could stand the additional heavy truckers and traffic. The Jamuna Bridge connecting west and east of Bangladesh that the proposed transit route would obviously need to use has already shown cracks, and so would be vulnerable to heavier and additional traffics from Indian side. Some conscious men reasonably fears that the transport drivers from India would quite likely spread HIV /AIDS to Bangladesh that is wide spread among Indian drivers than the Bangladeshi counterparts who are still almost free of the vices of the killer disease. This is not only a matter of cultural item but also impinges on economy for additional burden as medical expenses.

On top of all these negative issues, transit to India is certain to be a still bigger threat to the sovereignty of Bangladesh. It would not be so for only India’s possible movement of arms from her west to the eastern Seven Sisters’ region though Bangladesh territory but also the issue itself might put Bangladesh into difficulties with all anti-government parties and groups including those underground ones who continue to claim to have been fighting for independence from big India. Why should Bangladesh take on her the additional burden on this account?

The transit issue could partially be an economic issue but in no case anything divorced from politics of Bangladesh, and as such, it should be taken up and decided, if anything to decide upon, by the next political and duly elected peoples’ government, and not by the CG of Bangladesh.

The New Nation

http://www.bangladesh-web.com/view.php?hidRecord=210555

 

[Flintlock]

Learn to cooperate my good fellas. Incessant bickering never did anybody good.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Learn to cooperate my good fellas. Incessant bickering never did anybody good.

Yes - but cooperation by definition should be willing and due to mutual interests.

If someone doesn't see it in their interest, why should they?

 

[Flintlock]

Yes - but cooperation by definition should be willing and due to mutual interests.

If someone doesn't see it in their interest, why should they?

If you cut through the vitriolic attacks and insecuries of B"deshis, the opening up of border transit is an excellent opportunity to expand trade and commerce between the two countries.
Bangladesh could become a major transportation hub between the NE and rest of India.

I'm sure a mutually beneficial deal can be worked out of B'desh decides. to bargain rather than complain for a change.

As usual the B'desh military is overreacting and creating knife-stabs out of pinpricks.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

the opening up of border transit is an excellent opportunity to expand trade and commerce between the two countries

Yeah, but the people in Bangladesh need to believe that first. You may write it off as paranoia as an Indian, but it isn't your country.

I think any government should only proceed if their people think it is in their best interests.

Just keep trying to convince the people - trade delegations, B2B contacts, seminars, outreach campaigns etc.

Convince, not 'pressurize'.

 

[Goodperson]

If you cut through the vitriolic attacks and insecuries of B"deshis, the opening up of border transit is an excellent opportunity to expand trade and commerce between the two countries.
Bangladesh could become a major transportation hub between the NE and rest of India.

I'm sure a mutually beneficial deal can be worked out of B'desh decides. to bargain rather than complain for a change.

As usual the B'desh military is overreacting and creating knife-stabs out of pinpricks.

You could ignore such post I even could not find the Link for the title post (leading news)

nor could I locate such news in recent past.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

You could ignore such post I even could not find the Link for the title post (leading news)

nor could I locate such news in recent past.

Instead I would suggest asking the thread starter to provide the link or source of said article, before merely ignoring.

 

[Goodperson]

AM, I guess we posted at the same time, Well I did not feel the need to ask the topic starter for the link because as mentioned earlier
"nor could I locate such news in recent past". I think he posted from some articles from past.

 

[Vinod2070]

A question for the Bangladeshi friend.

If you don't increase co-operation with India and adapt an anti-India stance, what benefits do you derive? Can Bangladesh ever hope to do well by antagonizing India? If Indians reciprocate your enmity what happens to the millions of Bangladeshis in India? If the Indian government and people really decide, how long do you think it will take for all of them to land back in Dhaka?

Most Indians were sympathetic to Banglas for various reasons (at least before you started supporting terror in India), you have sufficient problems with mother nature and several man-made problems. The least you can do is to be friendly to your neighbors and there is only one.

They are the only one that have the via media and the means to come to your aid if and when the time comes. Unfortunately it is more a matter of when than if.

 

[BanglaBhoot]

I think that the debate has become somewhat one sided.

These are in fact very recent reports and if you cannot find the links the news is available on any Bangladesh news website.

Let us at first get one thing clear India is not in reality asking for transit but a corridor which raises sovereignty, territorial and security issues. Such a corridor to the North-East would have the effect of dissecting Bangladesh which in light of our mutual history would be intolerable for the country. With the turbulent North-East states such an arrangement would have negative security implications for Bangladesh and directly embroil it in the insurgency which is undesirable. There is very little advantage to Bangladesh in accepting this proposal. It makes little sense to accept it just because the Indians need it more than we do.

Bangladeshis have very good grounds to distrust Indian intent so every proposal has to be reviewed throughly and if not in the nations interests rejected outright.

 

[Vinod2070]

I think that the debate has become somewhat one sided.

These are in fact very recent reports and if you cannot find the links the news is available on any Bangladesh news website.

Let us at first get one thing clear India is not in reality asking for transit but a corridor which raises sovereignty, territorial and security issues. Such a corridor to the North-East would have the effect of dissecting Bangladesh which in light of our mutual history would be intolerable for the country. With the turbulent North-East states such an arrangement would have negative security implications for Bangladesh and directly embroil it in the insurgency which is undesirable. There is very little advantage to Bangladesh in accepting this proposal. It makes little sense to accept it just because the Indians need it more than we do.

Bangladeshis have very good grounds to distrust Indian intent so every proposal has to be reviewed throughly and if not in the nations interests rejected outright.

Isn't it a bit cynic? Reject it just because India needs it more! Cut the nose to spite the face.

If this is how everyone thinks, no deal will ever get done. Everything may be perceived to be more beneficial to one party than the other.

Why not look for a win-win situation than a win-lose one?

 

[BanglaBhoot]

The point is that Bangladesh does not need this corridor running through its territory. There are more negatives here for Bangladesh than there are positives.

India clearly considers the provision for corridor facility over more than 300 Km over Bangladesh territory a small sacrifice for Dhaka. But then why does New Delhi raise such vitriolic objections when a request for transit over a mere 20 Km of Indian territory from Bangladesh to Nepal is made?

This is clearly hypocrisy of the highest order.

 

[BanglaBhoot]

Cartetaker Govt cannot take decision on transit


By Amanullah Kabir

Does the interim Caretaker Government (CG) have the authority to extend extraordinary territorial facilities like transit to neighbouring India or any other country for that matter, which involves the nation's security? The answer is an emphatic no because the Constitution does not permit the CG to do so.

Our Constitution categorically says in Article 145A, "All treaties with foreign countries shall be submitted to the President who shall cause them to be laid before parliament. Provided that any such treaty connected with national security shall be laid in secret session of Parliament." The transit issue will be there so long India remains besieged with trouble in its insurgency-infested Northeast region.

Taking advantage of the situation that an unelected and relatively weak government is in place in Bangladesh, India has been mounting pressure on the CG for transit facilities to link its western part with India's trouble-torn Northeast region through Bangladesh territory. Following a meeting with the foreign affairs adviser Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury recently, Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty told journalists in his usual aggressive diplomatic style, "We want transit. It is not a political but commercial issue that will benefit Bangladesh commercially."

The meeting took place days before the foreign secretary level scheduled for July 16-17 in New Delhi and the Indian High Commissioner is learnt to have brought a draft copy of transit agreement for the foreign adviser for his information. when he met him meeting the Foreign Affairs Adviser at his office in Dhaka. The two must have discussed the draft during the meeting, but Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser did not mention it while meeting the press later.

However, flamboyant Chowdhury gave a confusing statement without confirming whether the controversial transit issue would come up for discussions at the Delhi meet, giving 'go ahead' signal or not. Why India is so much persuasive about transit -- better call it corridor -- facilities through Bangladesh is well understood, but what prompted this interim Caretaker Government to fall into the Indian trap? Can the Caretaker Government -- which has the constitutionally prescribed authority only to conduct day-to-day affairs and the national elections -- at all take any major political decision on security-related sensitive issues like transit ignoring public sentiment? Giving India transit facilities is very much a political issue and certainly not merely a commercial matter as the Indian High Commissioner thinks to be considered only on the basis of cost and benefit.

It may be mentioned that soon after Awami League took over power as an elected government in 1996, Delhi exerted tremendous pressure on it for transit facilities. I. K. Gujral, then foreign minister of India, initiated talks with his Bangladesh counterpart Addus Samad Azad but gave up hope when response was discouraging, evidently because of adverse public reaction.

At one stage, Sheikh Hasina, then Prime Minister, showed indications in favour of transit in the name of so-called Transshipment but backed out under pressure from the opposition political parties. Now, New Delhi again finds it an opportune moment to push the issue rather assertively.

But what Delhi deliberately refuses to take into consideration are the lingering irritants in the bilateral ties between Bangladesh and India, which have created crisis of confidence between the two close neighbours. Looking from the height of regional power economically and militarily, India has developed a mindset that prevents it from viewing the crisis in total perspective and it habitually turns a deaf ear to Bangladesh's 'give and take' approach. It is rather more demanding and inclined to impose unilateral decisions on its neighbours keeping the long outstanding issues deliberately unresolved.

By the end of last month a Bangladesh journalist delegation visited Kolkata to attend a SAFMA-organised conference which was graced by Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukharjee, West Bangal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Speaker Abdul Halim as guests. Pranab Mukharjee in his speech apparently very carefully refrained from touching upon the prickly bilateral issues but had to face a host of questions from the Bangladesh journalists who rightly pointed out what were the major irritants blocking the way to a bitter state of relations between the two countries.

The origin of bad blood dates back to Mujib-Indira time when, according to a treaty signed by them, Bangladesh handed over Berubari to India, but India has not even ratified the treaty till today and Bangladesh has not been handed over the Tin-Bigha corridor as per the agreement.

Similarly, the sharing of the waters of the Ganges as well as other common rivers and demarcation of the maritime boundary? the issues that immensely affect Bangladesh ? have remained unresolved for decades, since the inception of Bangladesh.

Even Bangladeshi satellite TV channels are not allowed to be watched in India. Economically, huge trade imbalance and together with non-tariff barriers have been inflicting negative effects on Bangladesh. While India is demanding transit and Chittagong Port for its use, at the same time she declines to provide transit through its 'Chicken Neck' which can benefit Nepal and Bangladesh economically.

All these are outstanding bilateral issues that have created crisis of confidence between the two countries. This requires India's political will to solve the problems and restore confidence. Will India ever have the political will which could promote regional harmony?


Transit issue vis-a-vis our Constitution

Discourses and debates had been going on over the past several decades on India's request for granting her transit, which is actually corridor facility. The opinions have been overwhelmingly negative recommending its discussion in parliament after the national election when it shall have to be debated and decided because the very nature of the issue concerns the security of this country. They quote Article 145A of our Constitution which says that all treaties with foreign countries shall be submitted to the President "who shall cause them to be laid before parliament." Eminent columnists have even proposed referendum on the transit issue.

Amidst a flurry of debates on the issue, foreign secretary Touhid Hossain said on Tuesday that a decision on providing India with transit facility is quite unlikely in the official talks in New Delhi. But earlier Indian high commissioner in Dhaka, Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty on July 10 reaffirmed India's long-drawn interest. Hence, the confusion.

During the liberation War India was our friend in need which we always acknowledge, but after independence she could not keep it up in so far as bilateral relations with Bangladesh are concerned. The developments that unfolded since the early seventies amply prove that the big neighbour has not been sincere to let her small neighbour live in peace. The issues are many beginning from depriving co-riparian Bangladesh from the legitimate share of the Ganges water, bigger plan to divert waters of the 54 common rives, blaming Dhaka for sheltering Indian terrorists and what have you.

Over the past three decades Bangladesh has been proposing for solution to various bilateral contentions issues with India, but the latter has not responded positively till date. The huge trade gap is a glaring case in point: about $2 billion imbalance in favour of India. Relations with India have long been strained for various reasons. Very often the Indian Border Security Force personnel kill and abduct Bangladeshi poor villagers. BSF men have killed more than 460 Bangladeshis in the past five years.

Over these years, neither Awami League nor BNP decided on it as it involves critical questions of national security and stability. Semantically speaking, 'transit' and 'corridor' have different denotations. For the facility to be a corridor the route has to be with another part of the same state and territory of another state is to be used. Thus India demands corridor, but calls it transit.

Diplomats are never enraged, but quite undiplomatically though, an annoyed Indian envoy Pinak Ranjan Chakrabarty stated last week that the transit issue was an economic one which was being politicised here. It is very much possible that granting transit will surely anger the armed insurgents who may imperil Bangladesh's security and stability because guerrilla attacks are likely to be launched on major installations and infrastructure facilities causing incalculable destruction.

It will be wise on the part of Dhaka to insist on a package deal on give-and-take basis; but our demands are being ignored by India for long. Meanwhile, the nitty-gritty of the Indian proposal must be made public for open discussion among all political parties, think tanks and civil society groups. Already economists, political scientists, academics, Liberation War veterans and intellectuals have found grave perils in the proposal. Unilateral withdrawal of water at Farakka by depriving co-riparian Bangladesh and its consequent colossal damage to humans, environment and ecology has been to the tune of hundreds of billions of Takas in the past three decades.

Sadly, Indian policy makers did not try to improve ties with the neighbours -- Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and so on. Far away from Gandhian doctrine of peace, today's India is overly ambitious to gain regional supremacy, which goal has made it a US ally. Analysts say Indo-US nuke agreement has geo-political goal to contain China.

The bottom line is: A good neighbour is a great blessing. There is no doubt that as a neighbour Bangladesh certainly and definitely cherishes lasting friendly relations with India based on understanding and cooperation for mutual benefit.

HOLIDAY > EDITORIAL

http://www.bangladesh-web.com/view.php?hidRecord=210741

 

[Vinod2070]

The point is that Bangladesh does not need this corridor running through its territory. There are more negatives here for Bangladesh than there are positives.

India clearly considers the provision for corridor facility over more than 300 Km over Bangladesh territory a small sacrifice for Dhaka. But then why does New Delhi raise such vitriolic objections when a request for transit over a mere 20 Km of Indian territory from Bangladesh to Nepal is made?

This is clearly hypocrisy of the highest order.

Never heard of it.

But you have a point here. India should grant this facility to Bangladesh. I don't know if the objection is again on security grounds. But it should be reciprocal.