Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh Photo: PTI
by Swadesh Roy
(August 27, Dhaka, Sri Lanka Guardian) Indian Prime Minister will visit Bangladesh on 6 to 7th September. It is only 30 hours visit. Two countries are now very much optimistic on this visit. India is a big country, people of their all provinces are not concerned about Bangladesh but the eastern part of the India, and their people are concerned about this visit very much. On the other hand, people of Bangladesh are highly hopeful of this visit. Besides that, if any one goes through the history, they will locate that, Bangladesh and India are going to reach a high up relation for the second time in their history. India -Bangladesh relation started through a historical movement. India is the only country who sacrifices their blood in the freedom struggle of Bangladesh. Through the freedom struggle, India Bangladesh made a historical cemented and noticeable relation. However, it was a blood-donated relation but it did not continue for a long. It was the misfortune of India and the people of Bangladesh. It was due to the killing of the freedom struggle leader of Bangladesh, Sheik Mujibur Rahaman. After the killing of Sheik Mujibur Rahaman, India lost only a good neighbor but Bangladeshi people lost its sprit of freedom and a good neighbor like India. Sheik Mujibur Rahaman was assassinated on 15th August in 1975. Bangladesh was created in 1971. So it was a short period, when India and Bangladesh enjoyed a good neighbor -relation. 1975 to 2011, it is 36 years. After thirty-six years, two countries are going to establish that kind of relation, which they lost in 1975. A political opportunity has come to build up a new relation.
Thirty-six years is a long time. In the mean time, the political situation of the world has been changed more. Some major changes have taken place in the economical policy of whole world. Even then, the thinking of the people has been changed. This change also happened in India and Bangladesh. Besides that, though there are some persons are in the power in both India and Bangladesh with an attachment in the 1971, the foundation time of the India- Bangladesh relation. In spite of that, it has to be admitted, a large number of people in India and Bangladesh are a new generation. Their thinking is very different. They are more practical than their previous generation. On the other hand, their economical and political thinking are also different; even than life style is different as well. Besides that, present world is suffering from a new phenomenon, it is religious fundamentalist. India and Bangladesh are suffering from that phenomenon. On the other hand, present world is enjoying a free and accessible information. So, if Bangladesh and India want to make a new era of their relation, it cannot be depended only on blood donated and sacrificing emotional attachment of 1971. Rather than two countries have to stand on a new stage, which can be helped to go to a new future or a new chapter. That is why, now it is very much needed to find out what will be the main factor of the new relation. The expertise of the two countries will find out all the aspects but if it can be tried to see in general, some issues come front at a glance. Such as, new generation never believe any type of emotional relation, they want a give and take relation. Even then, new generation of both countries never believe that, India is a big country so they have to do more. They want both countries will do according to their capacity; but any discrimination will not be tolerated. So, in all the issues, leader of the two countries have to be cautious to avoid discrimination. Leaders of the two countries have to admit globalization and connectivity. New generation is global and they will be more global in future, so they need a respectful modern connectivity. Therefore, learned expertise and the leaders of two countries have to find out a respectful connectivity for that new relation. Besides that, present world wants connectivity for their socio- economical growth. The people of Bangladesh and the eastern part of India are thinking that, they can open a new chapter of the economy if a fruitful connectivity starts. In the mean time, the economy minister of Bangladesh Mr. Abul Mal Abdul Muhith told that, the road of the Bangladesh is not fit for giving transit to India now. It is true the road communication of Bangladesh is poor now. Only poor road communication cannot be the obstacle to the transit. Here is needed first a pragmatic political decision which is appropriate in the globalization. That will help to take a political decision about transit; and it is more important. Road communication is a technical matter. If two countries can reach a political decision that they are going to start connectivity through the road transit then it is only the matter of time. Two countries and the world monetary organization can easily arranged that fund which can make standard road that is suitable for heavy transports. However, to reach the political decision on transit, both countries leaders have to ensure that, it is only for socio- economical transit. It will never ever use any type of miscreants.
Transit will help to make socio- economic connectivity. It will make beneficiary of both the countries in economically but it will not help much to stop illegal trade, border tension and border killing. It is true that, most of the border killing happened by India. They are now admitting that and they wanted to come down it in the zero position. So they are finding such types of arms which will not take life of any one. If the expertises of two countries want to come down the border killing in zero position, they have to find out all the way of solutions of it. They can be successful if they find the solutions in the economy rather than arms. It has to be admitted that, most of the border killings happen for illegal trade. So they have to find out how they can stop this illegal trade. Two countries all ready have started border market (border hat) as an experimental basis. Border market will be a fruitful component to reduce illegal trade; two countries have to allow more border market and expanse its area. However, border market will help to reduce the illegal border trade and a few number border killings but for diminishing the border killing, two countries have to think about cow trading. The border concerned people of the two countries will acknowledge, most of the border killing happen for illegal cow trading. So expertises of the two countries have to come across about a trouble-free legal cow trading. It may be said that, Bangladesh is a natural cow market of India. India has to sell its aged cow for sure. There is no utility of the aged cow in India. On the other hand, Bangladeshi people want it. It is one of the resources of the protein of Bangladeshi people. So Bangladesh has to buy Indian cow regularly and India sells it to Bangladesh regularly. Nevertheless, there is no practical easy trade frame of it. Two countries expertise have to frame it out. They can think they will make border hat for cow trading or they can allow cow trading in the border hat. Whatever they like, they have to find out an easy way for cow trading. If they can find out an easy way of cow trading, it must help to reduce border killing by 80 to 90 percent. And it will be a legal trade by paper currency that will be another component for changing the socio- economical situation of the two countries common people.
Besides that, leaders of the two countries have to come a point; they will make that situation which will help the businessmen of Bangladesh to invest in eastern part of the India because the resource of eastern part of India can open a new economic zone of this area. Even then, two countries can think about a free trade zone in this locality. That can be a practical thinking or decision. Most of all, it is to say that, not based on any type of emotion; India – Bangladesh relation have to be practical.
Swadesh Roy, Executive editor, The Daily Janakantha, Dhaka, Bangladesh, swadeshroy@gmail.com
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