And you in self denial to the core and unfit for this discussion. Go check the import and export numbers.
Ways of improving India-Bangladesh bilateral relations?
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And you in self denial to the core and unfit for this discussion. Go check the import and export numbers.
Bangladesh to get huge LNG terminal?
Bangladesh looks at power imports, investment from Indian players
Nevin John & P B Jayakumar / Mumbai December 26, 2009, 1:08 IST
Bangladesh may soon emerge as a major investment destination for Indian power sector players, as its government is planning nine power projects and a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal worth $5 billion, with the help of expert private sector players around the world.
It is also planning to buy power from Indian producers.
Sources said officials from the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) visited India on December 16-17 to study both private and state-owned coal power projects. They also held discussions with government officials and some private sector players wo are setting up projects.
After the Tata Group abandoned its $3-billion investment plan in Bangladesh a year-and-a-half ago, this is a fresh round of opportunity for Indian players. Bangladesh is planning to add 3,200 Mw of generation capacity. It also plans an LNG terminal for gas imports, though the country is perceived to be rich in gas reserves, that are yet to fully quantified.
Proximity to India and the Indian governments plans to add about 180,000 Mw by 2017 are encouraging Bangladesh to source power and woo private sector players to that country, said sources.
India, with a 13,000 Mw peak power shortage, currently does not export power; it imports from Bhutan.
Bangladesh faces peak power deficits of 1,800-Mw. It plans to import up to 1,200 Mw of electricity from Indian players by the middle of 2012, Alamgir Kabir, chairman of BPDB, said recently.
There will be an umbrella agreement under which we will import electricity from India A deal in this regard will be signed during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India next month, he had said.
Bangladesh produces an average 3,700 Mw of electricity every day, against the peak hour demand for over 5,500 Mw. Its electricity demand has been growing by 7.5 per cent annually since 1990.
Analysts said the move of the Bangladeshi government would present an opportunity for India's private sector players to go global.
Sources with the Indian companies which Business Standard spoke to said it was early to comment on whether they would foray into Bangladesh, as they have not assessed the opportunity in that country. Besides, all are currently focusing on the massive expansion plans happening in India, they said.
BPDB will float a Request For Proposal for installation of three gas-based power plants with a capacity of 1,125 Mw within two months. The plan is to install three power plants by 2014.
The three plants are 350-450 Mw capacity power plants at Bibiana-2 and Meghnaghat-2 and a 150 Mw power plant at Bhola. The government is also seeking investors for four coal-fired power plants of 500 Mw each in Meghnaghat, Zajira, Khulna and Chittagong.
Besides, two 100 Mw peaking power plants will come up in Kaliakoir and Savar, aimed at catering to industrial needs, especially the tannery sector. The government intends to use supercritical pressure technology for plants to ensure least greenhouse emission, while the financing will be done on the basis of private-public partnership.
Coal would be imported from Indonesia or Australia, unless Bangladesh's own coal fields can produce enough for these plants.
The terminal should have the capacity to transmit 3.5 million tonne of LNG, said Kabir about a week before. The terminal in the Bay of Bengal, preferably near the off-shore Sangu gas field system, might cost around $1 billion.
In a recent road show in London, the Bangladeshi delegation had got responses from 55 global power companies. The Bangladesh delegation will also hold similar road shows on the same investment prospect in Singapore and New York on January 25-26 and 28-29, said sources.
Bangladesh looks at power imports, investment from Indian players
Nevin John & P B Jayakumar / Mumbai December 26, 2009, 1:08 IST
Bangladesh may soon emerge as a major investment destination for Indian power sector players, as its government is planning nine power projects and a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal worth $5 billion, with the help of expert private sector players around the world.
It is also planning to buy power from Indian producers.
Sources said officials from the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) visited India on December 16-17 to study both private and state-owned coal power projects. They also held discussions with government officials and some private sector players wo are setting up projects.
After the Tata Group abandoned its $3-billion investment plan in Bangladesh a year-and-a-half ago, this is a fresh round of opportunity for Indian players. Bangladesh is planning to add 3,200 Mw of generation capacity. It also plans an LNG terminal for gas imports, though the country is perceived to be rich in gas reserves, that are yet to fully quantified.
Proximity to India and the Indian governments plans to add about 180,000 Mw by 2017 are encouraging Bangladesh to source power and woo private sector players to that country, said sources.
India, with a 13,000 Mw peak power shortage, currently does not export power; it imports from Bhutan.
Bangladesh faces peak power deficits of 1,800-Mw. It plans to import up to 1,200 Mw of electricity from Indian players by the middle of 2012, Alamgir Kabir, chairman of BPDB, said recently.
There will be an umbrella agreement under which we will import electricity from India A deal in this regard will be signed during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India next month, he had said.
Bangladesh produces an average 3,700 Mw of electricity every day, against the peak hour demand for over 5,500 Mw. Its electricity demand has been growing by 7.5 per cent annually since 1990.
Analysts said the move of the Bangladeshi government would present an opportunity for India's private sector players to go global.
Sources with the Indian companies which Business Standard spoke to said it was early to comment on whether they would foray into Bangladesh, as they have not assessed the opportunity in that country. Besides, all are currently focusing on the massive expansion plans happening in India, they said.
BPDB will float a Request For Proposal for installation of three gas-based power plants with a capacity of 1,125 Mw within two months. The plan is to install three power plants by 2014.
The three plants are 350-450 Mw capacity power plants at Bibiana-2 and Meghnaghat-2 and a 150 Mw power plant at Bhola. The government is also seeking investors for four coal-fired power plants of 500 Mw each in Meghnaghat, Zajira, Khulna and Chittagong.
Besides, two 100 Mw peaking power plants will come up in Kaliakoir and Savar, aimed at catering to industrial needs, especially the tannery sector. The government intends to use supercritical pressure technology for plants to ensure least greenhouse emission, while the financing will be done on the basis of private-public partnership.
Coal would be imported from Indonesia or Australia, unless Bangladesh's own coal fields can produce enough for these plants.
The terminal should have the capacity to transmit 3.5 million tonne of LNG, said Kabir about a week before. The terminal in the Bay of Bengal, preferably near the off-shore Sangu gas field system, might cost around $1 billion.
In a recent road show in London, the Bangladeshi delegation had got responses from 55 global power companies. The Bangladesh delegation will also hold similar road shows on the same investment prospect in Singapore and New York on January 25-26 and 28-29, said sources.
Tea gardens are not owned by the GoI but by people and private companies. Unlike China for example, in India you can't just kick people out and build the rail link. It will have to offer compensation discuss with people and build consensus before that can be done.
Rest assured road and rail links are very important for NE and this will also be done although I would expect in more towards the 2012-2015 time frame.
Stumper
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Do you understand the difference between "agreement not on cards" and "cancelled" , sir? . I could not locate any source which claims that this has been cancelled. They have a problem acquiring land in some the gardens .. due to which this is getting delayed.
Bhutan to get first railway station; rail-link to India
Before rushing in, i suggest pay a thought to Indian and BD intelligence. We are more inclined towards this (considering chinese factor).
More indian bs and deception. Awami stooges are getting taste of being used indians.
Stumper
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You proved something with that one-liner? .... No? ..... Oh, Habbit. I see. Ok, Thanks.
India to give Bangladesh $1bn line of credit - India - The Times of India
NEW DELHI: Taking the current bonhomie with the Sheikh Hasina government to a new level, PM Manmohan Singh on Monday announced a $1 billion line of credit for Bangladesh, the highest one-time line of credit assistance to any country by India.
Authorities described the aid as an apt reciprocation to the cooperation received from Bangladesh in dealing with terrorism and insurgency since Sheikh Hasina came back to power.
The credit will aid infrastructural development in that country, including building railway bridges, supply of locomotives and assistance in dredging.
Sheikh Hasina assured that no anti-India activity would be allowed to be carried out from the country. Sources said security was one of the most important issues on which the two sides agreed to actively cooperate.
During his meeting with Sheikh Hasina, Singh said her visit had opened a new chapter in India-Bangladesh ties leading to “complete unity of heart and mind”.
In another goodwill gesture, India said it would stop work on the Tipaimukh dam project which had caused resentment in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was inundated by official meetings through the day but her family had other social obligations.
The PM's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and daughter Saima Wazed Hossain Putul, accompanied by their aunt Sheikh Rehana and her children, called on the Gandhi family to revive an old connection that had become rusty with disuse.
Sheikha Hasina came bearing mouth-watering gifts — Bangladesh’s famous hilsa fish from the Padma river, which they swear is tastier than the Indian hilsa from the Ganga.
In return, Sheikh Hasina will probably be gifted a little bit of West Bengal
when railway minister Mamata Banerjee gifts her a ‘Dhonekhali’ saree, a speciality of the state and a variety she personally prefers, along with some of Kolkata’s ‘notun gurer shondesh’.
NEW DELHI: Taking the current bonhomie with the Sheikh Hasina government to a new level, PM Manmohan Singh on Monday announced a $1 billion line of credit for Bangladesh, the highest one-time line of credit assistance to any country by India.
Authorities described the aid as an apt reciprocation to the cooperation received from Bangladesh in dealing with terrorism and insurgency since Sheikh Hasina came back to power.
The credit will aid infrastructural development in that country, including building railway bridges, supply of locomotives and assistance in dredging.
Sheikh Hasina assured that no anti-India activity would be allowed to be carried out from the country. Sources said security was one of the most important issues on which the two sides agreed to actively cooperate.
During his meeting with Sheikh Hasina, Singh said her visit had opened a new chapter in India-Bangladesh ties leading to “complete unity of heart and mind”.
In another goodwill gesture, India said it would stop work on the Tipaimukh dam project which had caused resentment in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was inundated by official meetings through the day but her family had other social obligations.
The PM's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and daughter Saima Wazed Hossain Putul, accompanied by their aunt Sheikh Rehana and her children, called on the Gandhi family to revive an old connection that had become rusty with disuse.
Sheikha Hasina came bearing mouth-watering gifts — Bangladesh’s famous hilsa fish from the Padma river, which they swear is tastier than the Indian hilsa from the Ganga.
In return, Sheikh Hasina will probably be gifted a little bit of West Bengal
when railway minister Mamata Banerjee gifts her a ‘Dhonekhali’ saree, a speciality of the state and a variety she personally prefers, along with some of Kolkata’s ‘notun gurer shondesh’.
Iggy
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Well Investment by Business Houses should be a greate start for better relationship.
Example:
India's Bharti acquires control of Bangla firm
MUMBAI India's biggest mobile phone firm Bharti Airtel on Tuesday announced it will acquire a 70 percent stake in Bangladesh-based Warid Telecom, signalling the company's strong global ambitions.
Bharti would take management and board control of Warid, a statement to the Mumbai stock exchange said.
"The landmark deal underlines our intent to further expand our operations to international markets," Sunil Mittal, chairman of Bharti, said in the statement.
Bharti said its fresh investment of 300 million dollars -- raising its total investment to one billion dollars -- would be used for network expansion and introducing new services.
Last week, the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission cleared the deal for Bharti to buy the stake in Warid, a fully-owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhaibi-based Dhabi Group.
Launched in 2007, Warid is Bangladesh's fourth-largest mobile phone firm with nearly three million subscribers across the country.
Dhabi Group will continue to hold the other 30 percent stake in Warid.
Bharti will purchase existing shares from the Dhabi Group and also subscribe to fresh shares issued by the Bangladesh firm.
The move into Bangladesh by Bharti comes after its plan to ally with South Africa's MTN to create an emerging market telecom giant collapsed in September.
Bharti shares on Tuesday rose as much as 1.8 percent to a day's high of 334.9, before retracing on profit-taking to 329.25, or 0.09 percent higher, in early afternoon trade.
AFP: India's Bharti acquires control of Bangla firm
Example:
India's Bharti acquires control of Bangla firm
MUMBAI India's biggest mobile phone firm Bharti Airtel on Tuesday announced it will acquire a 70 percent stake in Bangladesh-based Warid Telecom, signalling the company's strong global ambitions.
Bharti would take management and board control of Warid, a statement to the Mumbai stock exchange said.
"The landmark deal underlines our intent to further expand our operations to international markets," Sunil Mittal, chairman of Bharti, said in the statement.
Bharti said its fresh investment of 300 million dollars -- raising its total investment to one billion dollars -- would be used for network expansion and introducing new services.
Last week, the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission cleared the deal for Bharti to buy the stake in Warid, a fully-owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhaibi-based Dhabi Group.
Launched in 2007, Warid is Bangladesh's fourth-largest mobile phone firm with nearly three million subscribers across the country.
Dhabi Group will continue to hold the other 30 percent stake in Warid.
Bharti will purchase existing shares from the Dhabi Group and also subscribe to fresh shares issued by the Bangladesh firm.
The move into Bangladesh by Bharti comes after its plan to ally with South Africa's MTN to create an emerging market telecom giant collapsed in September.
Bharti shares on Tuesday rose as much as 1.8 percent to a day's high of 334.9, before retracing on profit-taking to 329.25, or 0.09 percent higher, in early afternoon trade.
AFP: India's Bharti acquires control of Bangla firm
gogbot
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Well Investment by Business Houses should be a greate start for better relationship.
Example:
India's Bharti acquires control of Bangla firm
MUMBAI India's biggest mobile phone firm Bharti Airtel on Tuesday announced it will acquire a 70 percent stake in Bangladesh-based Warid Telecom, signalling the company's strong global ambitions.
Bharti would take management and board control of Warid, a statement to the Mumbai stock exchange said.
"The landmark deal underlines our intent to further expand our operations to international markets," Sunil Mittal, chairman of Bharti, said in the statement.
Bharti said its fresh investment of 300 million dollars -- raising its total investment to one billion dollars -- would be used for network expansion and introducing new services.
Last week, the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission cleared the deal for Bharti to buy the stake in Warid, a fully-owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhaibi-based Dhabi Group.
Launched in 2007, Warid is Bangladesh's fourth-largest mobile phone firm with nearly three million subscribers across the country.
Dhabi Group will continue to hold the other 30 percent stake in Warid.
Bharti will purchase existing shares from the Dhabi Group and also subscribe to fresh shares issued by the Bangladesh firm.
The move into Bangladesh by Bharti comes after its plan to ally with South Africa's MTN to create an emerging market telecom giant collapsed in September.
Bharti shares on Tuesday rose as much as 1.8 percent to a day's high of 334.9, before retracing on profit-taking to 329.25, or 0.09 percent higher, in early afternoon trade.
AFP: India's Bharti acquires control of Bangla firm
Aha
Airtel you never disappoint except when i loose coverage in deadspot
Ill admit i just wanted an excuse to post this.
Awesome ad
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RPK
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India agrees to cede 17,000 acres to Bangladesh
At last India has decided to settle some of its dues with history with Bangladesh, by agreeing in principle to cede control over some 17,000 acres of territory as part of a larger, comprehensive agreement, in which the remaining tiny part of the 4,096 km-long boundary will be demarcated, while several pockets of adverse possessions and enclaves claimed by both sides are likely to be settled on an “as-is-where-is” basis.
The decision to settle the matter is believed to have been taken at the highest political levels in India, on the eve of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India earlier this week, and is in keeping with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s view that small disagreements cannot be allowed to come in the way of a dynamic relationship with Delhi’s eastern neighbour.
Home Secretary GK Pillai confirmed to Business Standard that India, during the home secretary-level talks in Dhaka in early December had offered such a comprehensive agreement to Dhaka – demarcating the remaining 6.1 km of the 4,096-km long boundary, plus settling the matter of adverse possessions and enclaves — and had received a positive response from the Bangladeshi government.
India holds as many as 111 enclaves or tiny bits of land within Bangladesh territory, amounting to some 17,000 acres since the partition of the subcontinent in 1947 (initially held by Pakistan, and after 1971, with Bangladesh), while Bangladesh holds some 51 enclaves amounting to about 7,000 acres in India.
It is believed that India has in principle agreed that it will cede control over its enclaves, even though the difference is about 10,000 acres in Bangladesh’s favour. Meaning, once the negotiations are complete, the Indian enclaves within Bangladeshi territory would be absorbed within Bangladesh and vice-versa.
Officials on both sides agreed that such a path-breaking agreement was on the cards, but it would take between 18-24 months to iron out the details. India needs a constitutional amendment on its part to formalise the boundary demarcation. A joint land boundary working group meeting is expected to be held soon.
In addition, both sides agreed during Hasina’s visit that a flyover would be built to connect Bangladesh territory with the Angarpota-Dahagram enclave, separated by a tiny bit of land called the Teen Bigha corridor (literally, 3 bighas, or the size of a football field), so that Bangladeshis would have 24-hour access to their own territory.
Since Bangladeshis can only exit and enter Angarpota-Dahagram from sunrise to sunset, as India controls the Teen Bigha corridor, the matter had snowballed into a huge issue within Bangladesh.
“The India-Bangladesh relationship has been marred by such silliness over the last several decades, thereby casting a large shadow over the entire relationship,” said noted South Asian analyst BG Verghese.
Verghese pointed out that two Indian prime ministers, Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, had in fact promised to their counterparts, erstwhile Pakistani prime minister Feroz Khan Noon in 1958 and Mujib-ur Rahman in 1974, in their respective land boundary agreements, that both sides would transfer or “exchange” these small bits of enclaves held in “adverse possession” by the other side.
But nothing of the sort happened, as Left Front politics within West Bengal – some of the intervening pieces of land were said to be “controlled” by the Forward Bloc, even as litigants hit the courts seeking stays on the matter – prevented a diplomatic resolution.
But with the UPA’s second coming, and the Left Front out of the picture, Delhi has now decided that it will move to decisively resolve the matter, sources said.
Sources pointed out that with Sheikh Hasina in power in Bangladesh, “a historic opportunity presented itself, and may not come again. It is better to resolve these issues now and make India-Bangladesh relations a model for South Asia.”
As for the demarcation of the 4,096-km boundary between the two countries (262 km in Assam, 443 km in Meghalaya, 2,216.7 km in West Bengal, 318 km in Mizoram and 856 km in Tripura), only 6.1 km remain to be demarcated, of which two parts are riverine and the third is a tiny piece of land.
The riverine boundaries are related to the Mohuri and Sui rivers, both of which flow into Bangladesh from India, but whose ownership has been contested by both sides. While Delhi has offered that the median of the river be used to divide it up, the problem is that the river changes course every year as it floods the plain and therefore, the mid-point of the river changes as well.
Over the last many years, Indian and Bangladeshi officials have contested ownership of the rivers, citing maps that date as long back as 1914. But with the new bonhomie between the two nations, it is now being said that these issues will also be quickly resolved.
At last India has decided to settle some of its dues with history with Bangladesh, by agreeing in principle to cede control over some 17,000 acres of territory as part of a larger, comprehensive agreement, in which the remaining tiny part of the 4,096 km-long boundary will be demarcated, while several pockets of adverse possessions and enclaves claimed by both sides are likely to be settled on an “as-is-where-is” basis.
The decision to settle the matter is believed to have been taken at the highest political levels in India, on the eve of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India earlier this week, and is in keeping with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s view that small disagreements cannot be allowed to come in the way of a dynamic relationship with Delhi’s eastern neighbour.
Home Secretary GK Pillai confirmed to Business Standard that India, during the home secretary-level talks in Dhaka in early December had offered such a comprehensive agreement to Dhaka – demarcating the remaining 6.1 km of the 4,096-km long boundary, plus settling the matter of adverse possessions and enclaves — and had received a positive response from the Bangladeshi government.
India holds as many as 111 enclaves or tiny bits of land within Bangladesh territory, amounting to some 17,000 acres since the partition of the subcontinent in 1947 (initially held by Pakistan, and after 1971, with Bangladesh), while Bangladesh holds some 51 enclaves amounting to about 7,000 acres in India.
It is believed that India has in principle agreed that it will cede control over its enclaves, even though the difference is about 10,000 acres in Bangladesh’s favour. Meaning, once the negotiations are complete, the Indian enclaves within Bangladeshi territory would be absorbed within Bangladesh and vice-versa.
Officials on both sides agreed that such a path-breaking agreement was on the cards, but it would take between 18-24 months to iron out the details. India needs a constitutional amendment on its part to formalise the boundary demarcation. A joint land boundary working group meeting is expected to be held soon.
In addition, both sides agreed during Hasina’s visit that a flyover would be built to connect Bangladesh territory with the Angarpota-Dahagram enclave, separated by a tiny bit of land called the Teen Bigha corridor (literally, 3 bighas, or the size of a football field), so that Bangladeshis would have 24-hour access to their own territory.
Since Bangladeshis can only exit and enter Angarpota-Dahagram from sunrise to sunset, as India controls the Teen Bigha corridor, the matter had snowballed into a huge issue within Bangladesh.
“The India-Bangladesh relationship has been marred by such silliness over the last several decades, thereby casting a large shadow over the entire relationship,” said noted South Asian analyst BG Verghese.
Verghese pointed out that two Indian prime ministers, Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, had in fact promised to their counterparts, erstwhile Pakistani prime minister Feroz Khan Noon in 1958 and Mujib-ur Rahman in 1974, in their respective land boundary agreements, that both sides would transfer or “exchange” these small bits of enclaves held in “adverse possession” by the other side.
But nothing of the sort happened, as Left Front politics within West Bengal – some of the intervening pieces of land were said to be “controlled” by the Forward Bloc, even as litigants hit the courts seeking stays on the matter – prevented a diplomatic resolution.
But with the UPA’s second coming, and the Left Front out of the picture, Delhi has now decided that it will move to decisively resolve the matter, sources said.
Sources pointed out that with Sheikh Hasina in power in Bangladesh, “a historic opportunity presented itself, and may not come again. It is better to resolve these issues now and make India-Bangladesh relations a model for South Asia.”
As for the demarcation of the 4,096-km boundary between the two countries (262 km in Assam, 443 km in Meghalaya, 2,216.7 km in West Bengal, 318 km in Mizoram and 856 km in Tripura), only 6.1 km remain to be demarcated, of which two parts are riverine and the third is a tiny piece of land.
The riverine boundaries are related to the Mohuri and Sui rivers, both of which flow into Bangladesh from India, but whose ownership has been contested by both sides. While Delhi has offered that the median of the river be used to divide it up, the problem is that the river changes course every year as it floods the plain and therefore, the mid-point of the river changes as well.
Over the last many years, Indian and Bangladeshi officials have contested ownership of the rivers, citing maps that date as long back as 1914. But with the new bonhomie between the two nations, it is now being said that these issues will also be quickly resolved.
Spitfighter
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^^ Wow!!
I think we've shut up the anti India squad in Bangladesh once and for all . Hopefully now we'll never hear from the likes of Al Zakir.
I think we've shut up the anti India squad in Bangladesh once and for all . Hopefully now we'll never hear from the likes of Al Zakir.
India, Bangladesh look to turn a corner
NEW DELHI - Ever since India intervened in the partition of Pakistan that led to the creation of Bangladesh in 1971, relations between Delhi and Dhaka have been strained, with the latter ever-suspicious of its neighboring "big brother", compounded by fears of Indian goods swamping Bangladesh's economy.
India, for its part, has been frustrated by Dhaka's penchant to "obstruct" meaningful bilateral dialogue and is concerned about
Pakistan-backed terrorists and insurgents seeking shelter in Bangladesh.
India has of late conveyed to the United States that its global efforts against terror in Pakistan and Afghanistan cannot succeed unless nations such as Nepal and Bangladesh are strengthened, economically and politically. Weak governments and security structures in India's smaller neighbors provide safe havens for terrorists, given the heat of US military operations in other areas.
Some of these issues were addressed this week during the maiden visit to India of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina following her electoral victory in December 2008. She sought "a path-breaking and historic opportunity" to build a "new and forward-looking" relationship.
Bangladesh looked at India as a "natural friend", said Hasina, and asked India to "open new doors and a new era" in bilateral cooperation, even as New Delhi conferred on her the prestigious Indira Gandhi Peace Prize.
Commenting on anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh, Hasina said, "Perhaps that may remain. I cannot change that ... But common people want better lives and if results are achieved [in India-Bangladesh cooperation], these sentiments will not work."
Observers say that such statements are not mere rhetoric as the ground for positive movement in India-Bangladesh relations has never been better, given that it has traditionally been Dhaka that has been "prickly" about being associated too closely with India.
First, Hasina rides on a large parliamentary majority, which means that her government does not depend for survival on Muslim hardiners and India-baiters. Former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia and her Islamist allies governed the country from 2001 to 2006, a period during which India-Bangladesh relations were particularly bitter.
Second, militants killed Hasina's former finance minister and have tried to assassinate her; she has little sympathy for militancy. She is aware of the situation in Pakistan, where former state-backed militants orchestrated attacks in India and elsewhere, but now threaten the existence of their creators. A reflection of changed thinking is that Dhaka recently delivered Arabinda Rajkhowa, the chief of the banned rebel group, the United Liberation Front of Assam, to India. (See India buoyed by Bangladesh's 'gift' Asia Times Online, December 9, 2009.)
Third, Bangladesh has become a bigger garment exporter than India, which gives it some confidence to stand up for itself as an economy. Dhaka is also considering inviting Indian software firms to set up in Bangladesh.
New Delhi has indicated that it aims to set in motion goodwill and structures (business, transport etc) that last beyond the thinking of a political party or an individual in power.
Thus, when Hasina met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi, the expectations were high. Manmohan was full of praise, calling Hasina an "outstanding political figure of South Asia who has worked tirelessly for the restoration of democracy in Bangladesh".
The premiers then got down to business, signing five agreements, including three pacts on counter-terrorism and one on power-sharing. A combined front against terror was at the top of the agenda.
"Terrorists do not have any religion or country and are giving a bad name to Islam, which symbolizes peace," Hasina said, emphasizing that her country was committed not to allow its soil to be used for terrorist activity against India.
The three pacts on counter-terrorism, including those on mutual legal assistance, transfer of convicted prisoners, the fight against international terrorism, organized crime and illegal drug trafficking, were aimed at concerns about stopping insurgents in India's troubled northeast from spilling into Bangladesh.
Importantly, Hasina said the countries were working on an extradition treaty. Though a timeframe was not specified, officials said the modalities would be worked out "soon".
New Delhi also announced a US$1 billion line of credit for infrastructure development in Bangladesh, which is the highest grant to any one country by India. India is also committed to supply 250 megawatts of power to its neighbor from its central grid.
India also offered a reduction of items from its negative trade list; this will benefit Bangladesh. Hasina's schedule included meetings with Indian business groups looking to invest in Bangladesh. These included the Tatas, who were earlier forced to scrap steel and power projects in Bangladesh worth US$3 billion, and India's biggest private telecom operator, Bharti Airtel, which is making a foray into Bangladesh.
Bangladesh welcomed New Delhi's initiative to provide duty-free access to the Indian market for the least-developed countries in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.
Regional Implications
Apart from acting on terror, another major breakthrough could be the proposed 950-kilometer, $1 billion Myanmar-Bangladesh-India (MBI) gas pipeline.
With the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline stalled due to US-Iran geopolitical issues, India has become a supporter of the MBI so that it can access the rich hydrocarbon resources of Myanmar.
The MBI has been in limbo since a draft memorandum of understanding was signed three years ago as Dhaka linked implementing the pipeline to a reduction of its trade imbalance with India, to the establishment of a corridor for Nepalese goods to go into Bangladeshi ports, and access to hydropower from Bhutan.
This irked New Delhi as it opposes resolving bilateral issues as part of a trilateral agreement.
All the same, Hasina has now granted India access to Mongla and Chittagong ports for the movement of goods. In exchange, India expressed its intention to give access to Nepal and Bhutan to Bangladesh through its territory.
The MBI was initially mooted by a Bangladeshi private company, Mohona Holdings Limited, in 1997, a move approved by India and Myanmar. The pipeline is proposed to cut across Shwe in Arakan province in Myanmar and then go on to the Indian states of Mizoram and Tripura, and then to Kolkata in West Bengal via Bangladesh.
Frustrated with the repeated failure to get the MBI off the ground, Myanmar opted to supply gas to China, a fierce competitor for energy. China has since begun the construction of oil and gas pipelines from Myanmar.
New Delhi, however, feels there will still be plenty left over after meeting China's demand. Gas reserves of about six trillion cubic feet have been estimated in blocks A-1 and A-2 off Myanmar's Arakan coast.
In the new climate, the MBI might yet be a goer; Bangladesh has an acute gas shortage and could certainly use MBI gas, along with transit and management revenues.
Recently, Myanmar's ambassador to India, U Kyi Thein, said the project may take shape in the near future. "Something could happen in two to three years with Indian companies like GAIL, Essar Oil, ONGC and IOC exploring gas in Myanmar,'' Thein said.
Asia Times Online :: South Asia news, business and economy from India and Pakistan
NEW DELHI - Ever since India intervened in the partition of Pakistan that led to the creation of Bangladesh in 1971, relations between Delhi and Dhaka have been strained, with the latter ever-suspicious of its neighboring "big brother", compounded by fears of Indian goods swamping Bangladesh's economy.
India, for its part, has been frustrated by Dhaka's penchant to "obstruct" meaningful bilateral dialogue and is concerned about
Pakistan-backed terrorists and insurgents seeking shelter in Bangladesh.
India has of late conveyed to the United States that its global efforts against terror in Pakistan and Afghanistan cannot succeed unless nations such as Nepal and Bangladesh are strengthened, economically and politically. Weak governments and security structures in India's smaller neighbors provide safe havens for terrorists, given the heat of US military operations in other areas.
Some of these issues were addressed this week during the maiden visit to India of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina following her electoral victory in December 2008. She sought "a path-breaking and historic opportunity" to build a "new and forward-looking" relationship.
Bangladesh looked at India as a "natural friend", said Hasina, and asked India to "open new doors and a new era" in bilateral cooperation, even as New Delhi conferred on her the prestigious Indira Gandhi Peace Prize.
Commenting on anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh, Hasina said, "Perhaps that may remain. I cannot change that ... But common people want better lives and if results are achieved [in India-Bangladesh cooperation], these sentiments will not work."
Observers say that such statements are not mere rhetoric as the ground for positive movement in India-Bangladesh relations has never been better, given that it has traditionally been Dhaka that has been "prickly" about being associated too closely with India.
First, Hasina rides on a large parliamentary majority, which means that her government does not depend for survival on Muslim hardiners and India-baiters. Former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia and her Islamist allies governed the country from 2001 to 2006, a period during which India-Bangladesh relations were particularly bitter.
Second, militants killed Hasina's former finance minister and have tried to assassinate her; she has little sympathy for militancy. She is aware of the situation in Pakistan, where former state-backed militants orchestrated attacks in India and elsewhere, but now threaten the existence of their creators. A reflection of changed thinking is that Dhaka recently delivered Arabinda Rajkhowa, the chief of the banned rebel group, the United Liberation Front of Assam, to India. (See India buoyed by Bangladesh's 'gift' Asia Times Online, December 9, 2009.)
Third, Bangladesh has become a bigger garment exporter than India, which gives it some confidence to stand up for itself as an economy. Dhaka is also considering inviting Indian software firms to set up in Bangladesh.
New Delhi has indicated that it aims to set in motion goodwill and structures (business, transport etc) that last beyond the thinking of a political party or an individual in power.
Thus, when Hasina met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi, the expectations were high. Manmohan was full of praise, calling Hasina an "outstanding political figure of South Asia who has worked tirelessly for the restoration of democracy in Bangladesh".
The premiers then got down to business, signing five agreements, including three pacts on counter-terrorism and one on power-sharing. A combined front against terror was at the top of the agenda.
"Terrorists do not have any religion or country and are giving a bad name to Islam, which symbolizes peace," Hasina said, emphasizing that her country was committed not to allow its soil to be used for terrorist activity against India.
The three pacts on counter-terrorism, including those on mutual legal assistance, transfer of convicted prisoners, the fight against international terrorism, organized crime and illegal drug trafficking, were aimed at concerns about stopping insurgents in India's troubled northeast from spilling into Bangladesh.
Importantly, Hasina said the countries were working on an extradition treaty. Though a timeframe was not specified, officials said the modalities would be worked out "soon".
New Delhi also announced a US$1 billion line of credit for infrastructure development in Bangladesh, which is the highest grant to any one country by India. India is also committed to supply 250 megawatts of power to its neighbor from its central grid.
India also offered a reduction of items from its negative trade list; this will benefit Bangladesh. Hasina's schedule included meetings with Indian business groups looking to invest in Bangladesh. These included the Tatas, who were earlier forced to scrap steel and power projects in Bangladesh worth US$3 billion, and India's biggest private telecom operator, Bharti Airtel, which is making a foray into Bangladesh.
Bangladesh welcomed New Delhi's initiative to provide duty-free access to the Indian market for the least-developed countries in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.
Regional Implications
Apart from acting on terror, another major breakthrough could be the proposed 950-kilometer, $1 billion Myanmar-Bangladesh-India (MBI) gas pipeline.
With the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline stalled due to US-Iran geopolitical issues, India has become a supporter of the MBI so that it can access the rich hydrocarbon resources of Myanmar.
The MBI has been in limbo since a draft memorandum of understanding was signed three years ago as Dhaka linked implementing the pipeline to a reduction of its trade imbalance with India, to the establishment of a corridor for Nepalese goods to go into Bangladeshi ports, and access to hydropower from Bhutan.
This irked New Delhi as it opposes resolving bilateral issues as part of a trilateral agreement.
All the same, Hasina has now granted India access to Mongla and Chittagong ports for the movement of goods. In exchange, India expressed its intention to give access to Nepal and Bhutan to Bangladesh through its territory.
The MBI was initially mooted by a Bangladeshi private company, Mohona Holdings Limited, in 1997, a move approved by India and Myanmar. The pipeline is proposed to cut across Shwe in Arakan province in Myanmar and then go on to the Indian states of Mizoram and Tripura, and then to Kolkata in West Bengal via Bangladesh.
Frustrated with the repeated failure to get the MBI off the ground, Myanmar opted to supply gas to China, a fierce competitor for energy. China has since begun the construction of oil and gas pipelines from Myanmar.
New Delhi, however, feels there will still be plenty left over after meeting China's demand. Gas reserves of about six trillion cubic feet have been estimated in blocks A-1 and A-2 off Myanmar's Arakan coast.
In the new climate, the MBI might yet be a goer; Bangladesh has an acute gas shortage and could certainly use MBI gas, along with transit and management revenues.
Recently, Myanmar's ambassador to India, U Kyi Thein, said the project may take shape in the near future. "Something could happen in two to three years with Indian companies like GAIL, Essar Oil, ONGC and IOC exploring gas in Myanmar,'' Thein said.
Asia Times Online :: South Asia news, business and economy from India and Pakistan
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