Bangladesh News and Discussion

Anindya · Post by **Anindya** » 24 May 2015 03:59

Murders in Bangladesh, Government Looks the Other Way

In 2014, when Asian and African Muslims were asked in a Pew survey whether suicide bombing or other forms of violence against civilian targets could be justified to defend Islam from an enemy, 47% percent of Bangladeshi Muslims said yes. They represented the highest number, after Gaza (62%).

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 24 May 2015 04:48

http://news.webindia123.com/news/Articl ... 99759.html
'Bangladesh, India moving into ''new mindset'', says Doval'

We are now moving into a new mind-set, the NSA said in his special address at the concluding session of Sixth India Bangladesh Friendship Dialogue organized by the India Foundation here. Other participants like Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Sayyed Muazzam Ali , Director of India Foundation and BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav and State Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Shahriar Alam also spoke eloquently of Mr Modis personal initiative in having the LBA in place. Mr Doval said India was proud to have a neighbour who are fully responsive to its security sensitivities whether it was insurgency or counterfeit currency. He said India had longest border with Bangladesh and it was a matter of great satisfaction that the two countries had now a clearly demarcated land and maritime border.He said connectivity and communication and energy cooperation were very important dimensions of bilateral relations.Mr Doval also spoke of the demographic dividends of the two countries and saidIndia could be of great help to Bangladesh in training and skilling its large youth workforce.Earlier, Mr Madhav said the Prime Minister went out of way to get a consensus on the LBA as he had said that he would not go to Bangladesh without ratification of this agreement.The Bangladesh High Commissioner said, I salute him for getting the ratification motion passed without a single negative vote.I now again see the spirit of 1971 coming back, he said.

The Dialogue adopted a Delhi declaration calling for designing a dynamic security and confidence architecture for South Asia, encompassing border management, preventing transnational crimes and trade in narcotics.It also called for intense connectivity network and designing a comprehensive water and energy security network for South Asia.

RoyG · Post by **RoyG** » 24 May 2015 08:40

RamaY wrote:
RoyG wrote: Go after the jihadis with what?
17,289 people were killed in accidents in Bangladesh in 2010.
Accidents, by definition, can kill anyone anywhere.

100,000 replace them.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 25 May 2015 19:38

http://www.firstpost.com/world/bus-rout ... 61004.html
"What PM Modi will focus on during his Bangladesh trip"

Modi’s Bangladesh visit would be laden with a strategic agenda and will have the potential to be the most substantive visit he has undertaken till now to any of the SAARC countries. If all goes well, his visit to Bangladesh would put a primary structure of a parallel SAARC minus the troublesome neighbour Pakistan in place.

Bus and rail corridors are among the primary focus of Modi's visit. The bus corridor may take off in right earnest as part of PM Modi’s Bangladesh visit agenda and the rail corridor too would come up for discussion, though it would likely be left for second phase of the sub-regional push under the BBIN framework.

India-Bangladesh bilateral relations have been fortified by the fact that India recently cleared the 41-year-long logjam over the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) and the Indian parliament finally approved it. The next target for the two neighbours is to sign the Teesta river water sharing agreement, which is bound to take more time and witness a protracted process before it becomes a done deal.

Modi has of late improved his strained ties with Banerjee. If the firebrand West Bengal chief minister does travel with the Prime Minister to Bangladesh, it will signal a move forward on the Teesta issue.

Another major agenda during Modi's visit will be to start a direct bus service between Kolkata and Agartala via Dhaka.....Bangladesh is set to sweeten the deal further for India by agreeing to start the Dhaka-Shilong-Guwahati bus service.....Besides, India and Bangladesh are also thinking about opening bus services on the Kolkata-Chittagong, Shillong-Chittagong, Khulna-Kolkata and Jessore-Kolkata routes.

Moreover, India and Bangladesh have already done a lot of spade work towards signing the BBIN motor vehicle agreement and this important document is likely to be signed during PM Modi’s Bangladesh visit.

Once this agreement is signed, private, public and commercial vehicles will be able travel to any of these countries without any hassles and tourists will be allowed to travel on private transport between these countries. Also, permitted public bus services and commercial vehicles like those carrying goods will also be allowed without transshipment.....This agreement is key to PM Modi’s SAARC connectivity push which he had pitched during last year’s Saarc Summit in Kathmandu but Pakistan opposed that. The idea of BBIN will ensure that sub-regional road connectivity is put in place bypassing Pakistan.

Other crucial agreements expected to be signed during Modi’s Bangladesh visit are as follows:

Building a bridge between Ramgarh in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and Subrum in Tripura. After the bridge is constructed, two land ports will be built in Bangladesh and India and there will be a four-lane 58km road touching Ashuganj, Akhaura and Agartala.

India and Bangladesh will sign an agreement to export Bangladesh’s unused submarine cable bandwidth. Bangladesh Submarine Cable Co Ltd (BSCCL) and the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) would be signing the deal.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 25 May 2015 22:33

RamaY wrote:
chetak wrote: Boss, these guys are surely headed for India. bangladesh will quietly, politely and politically steer them our way as "normal" ghus petis. they have credible denial and can also provide surreptitious support. Two birds with one stone, as it were.
No need to boss me. I have simple solutions to such problems. But others think they are genocidal.

Let's use the solutions that get kudos on the forum.

Muslims are like us only... BD Muslims even speak Bengali. So nothing wrong to help them on humanitarian grounds. After all that's what Buddhism/Jainism tell us right? Always remember that Indian Muslims are different from Paki Muslims and BD Muslims despite the fact that they are relatives and continue to have marital relationships.

India can't deny such economic immigrants. So India should accept all BD Muslims, whoever want to try to cross the border, and give them ration cards, citizenship, smart cities and so on.

Since war is an expensive option, let's spend more money on peaceful rehabilitation and employment schemes.

By the way did I forget that secular constipation allows these Muslims to have their own personal law and facilitate those choices to creep into criminal law?

Buddham Sharanam Gachaami!

P.S: If you want to hear my opinion, India should stop rehabilitating Sheik Hasina and her party. Let BD taken over by Islamists. They will open all the necessary strategic doors for Hindu Bharat.

the fatalistic view is that if the global warming thingee actually comes true and the sea levels do rise inordinately high, the BDs are all headed for India anyways, as are the maldivians.

re personal laws, Goa is the only place in India that actually and legally has the UCC, as left behind by the portuguese.

member_28020 · Post by **member_28020** » 26 May 2015 00:05

the fatalistic view is that if the global warming thingee actually comes true and the sea levels do rise inordinately high, the BDs are all headed for India anyways, as are the maldivians.

The realistic view is BD's will genocide themselves when the boundaries are sealed. Isn't that the natural trajectory for islam?

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 26 May 2015 03:28

the fatalistic view is that if the global warming thingee actually comes true and the sea levels do rise inordinately high, the BDs are all headed for India anyways, as are the maldivians.

Long before that happens, India herself is likely to run out of water and thus create a dispute within the country (the US too faces such "water wars") - internal to nations.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 26 May 2015 19:58

"India, Bangladesh Need To Deliver On Mutual Concerns – Analysis"
http://www.eurasiareview.com/25052015-i ... -analysis/

Home > 1 > Analysis > India, Bangladesh Need To Deliver On Mutual Concerns – Analysis
India, Bangladesh Need To Deliver On Mutual Concerns – Analysis
Bangladesh - India relationsBangladesh - India relations
South Asia Monitor May 25, 2015 1, Analysis No Comments

By South Asia Monitor

By Subir Bhaumik*

India’s senior diplomat Rajiv Sikri once described Bangladesh’s as “our most important neighbour”. For the foreign establishment in Delhi, that is often obsessed with Pakistan and China, this was a timely reminder. Bangladesh is crucial to India’s Look East thrust because it is through that country that India can connect to its own northeastern states easily and then use that region to further connect to Southeast Asia and even south-western China.

A friendly Bangladesh is also the surest guarantee for the stability and peace in India’s troubled northeast. That was one of the key reasons for Indian military intervention to liberate Bangladesh in 1971 by breaking up Pakistan. Almost overnight, the rebels from northeast lost their bases in what was until then East Pakistan. The coup that killed Sheikh Mujib and his family and threw his party, Awami League, out of power, drastically changed the scenario as successive military regimes in Dhaka started to back the northeastern rebels again.

All that changed when Mujib’s daughter Sheikh Hasina came back to power with a thumping majority in December 2008. Hasina’s administration furiously cracked down on the rebel bases and handed over scores of their leaders and activists to India. That forced many northeastern rebel groups to start negotiations with Delhi. The downward spiral of insurgencies in the northeast in the last five years owes much to that crackdown. Hasina also cleared movement of goods to the northeastern state of Tripura through the Chittagong port from the Indian mainland, holding out the promise for a more comprehensive transit arrangement if India delivered on its own promises.

The Narendra Modi government has delivered on one of them by ensuring the passage through parliamrent of the constitutional amendment bill to implement the Land Boundary Agreement that will now pave the way for a swap of the enclaves. Modi is also pushing hard to sign the Teesta water sharing treaty with Bangladesh, from which Manmohan Singh had backed out after stiff opposition from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Now that Modi has succeeded in getting Mamata on board, the agreement is being reworked keeping Mamata’s reservations in mind and hopefully the agreement can be signed some time soon.

For Hasina, who is bludgeoned in local politics by rival Islamists as an Indian stooge, it is important to show her people India has addressed Bangladesh’s concerns as much as she has addressed India’s on the security and connectivity front. By delivering on the land boundary agreement, Modi has taken the first step to bail out a friend who needs all possible support. If Modi delivers on Teesta anytime soon, Hasina’s stock with her people will doubtlessly soar.

India has already provided much better market access to Bangladeshi products in an effort to reduce the trade imbalance. This has been a contentious issue but now the ball is in the court of Bangladesh’s industrial captains. Manmohan Singh wanted India’s neighbours to become beneficiaries in our growth story. Subsequent efforts to provide market access to Bangladesh products has taken off but Indian bureaucracy still needs to iron out a few regulations that keep non-tariff barriers in place. India should not be seen as giving something with the right hand and denying it with the left.

Bangladesh is a proud nation born out of one of the bloodiest civil wars of our time. Its present regime led by Sheikh Hasina is the best possible friend India could have in a neighborhood where China is trying to make deep inroads by leveraging the angst against India’s ‘Big Brother’ image. The friendship is born of a history of shared bonds in the liberation struggle, during which thousands of Bengali freedom fighters operated out of India and millions of refugees were sheltered here. But history cannot just cement the bonds — both countries need to understand each other better and deliver on mutual concerns. Hasina has delivered on India’s security concerns more firmly than any neighbour ever has, with the possible exception of Bhutan. She may also deliver on transit if India delivers on her commitments on Teesta now.

Anindya · Post by **Anindya** » 28 May 2015 09:20

Minus Pak, that is....

PM Narendra Modi’s Dhaka visit to give boost to road connectivity among South Asian nations

A landmark initiative for road connectivity between India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal is expected to be launched during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's maiden visit to Dhaka on June 6-7. The initiative is being seen as a move to offset Pakistan's efforts to scuttle integration among South Asian nations.

Prime Minister's upcoming visit will give shape to a mini-SAARC and help expand cooperation between Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN).

with bus corridors to connect BBIN topping the agenda. In November 2014, Pakistan's objection did not allow conclusion of both SAARC Motor Vehicles Pact and SAARC Railways Agreement in what was seen as a major setback to regional connectivity and therefore integration among South Asian nations.

Due to Pakistan's intransigence on SAARC connectivity pacts, India has been pushing for sub-regional connectivity among its eastern neighbours that will enable greater peopleto-people cooperation and enhance intra-regional trade.

India and Bangladesh are currently fine-tuning the BBIN motor vehicle agreement and this could be signed during Modi's Bangladesh visit, officials said.

Once this agreement is inked, private, public and commercial vehicles of the four countries will be able to travel across the four countries and tourists will be allowed to travel on private transport between these countries. The idea of BBIN will ensure that sub-regional road connectivity is functional, bypassing Pakistan.

Anindya · Post by **Anindya** » 28 May 2015 13:30

Bangladesh plans to move thousands of Rohingya to island

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 29 May 2015 20:19

Could have put this in the North East thread also.

"Trial run of Kolkata-Agartala bus service via Dhaka on June 1'
http://zeenews.india.com/news/north-eas ... 03997.html

"Agartala: A trial run of the Kolkata-Agartala direct bus service via Dhaka will be held on June 1, Tripura transport minister Manik Dey on Friday said.

"A bus will start from Kolkata on June 1, stay in Bangladesh on that day and arrive at Agartala International Bus Terminus of Tripura Road Transport Corporation (TRTC) at about 11 am next day through the Akhaura Check Post," Dey told reporters here."

Joyanta · Post by **Joyanta** » 31 May 2015 12:09

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/worl ... 477859.cms

Speaking from Dhaka, Ananya — who is on a hit list containing the names of 84 atheist bloggers — said: "I am no stranger to death threats and bloodshed. My father, author Humayun Azad, was attacked on the streets. But what shocked me was the nature of threat that I got on Facebook. It addressed my father as 'Nastiker sardar'. It means the leader of atheists. It said being his son, I would meet a gruesome death. My throat would be slashed at Dhaka University's Raju Bhaskarjya!

But Ananya is not the only blogger suffering. TOI traced another blogger who is now in hiding in Dhaka. On May 12, a gang of masked assailants had chopped blogger Ananta Bijay Das. Ever since Ananta's death, his fellow blogger Monir Hussain has gone into hiding.

Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin, who is now in New York, is trying to help him move out of his country. Monir has stopped writing his blogs. Speaking from an undisclosed location in Dhaka, he said: "For 15 days, I have been locked in a room. No television. No newspapers. I've deactivated my Facebook profile."

Monir has heard about Ananya's threat. "Ananta, I and four others had set up the Bigyan O Juktibadi Council since 2005. We also run the Jukti Patrika in Bangladesh. Threats have been coming for the past eight months. On the day Ananta died, I got a call around 9.20 am saying: 'Are you still sleeping? Ananta is lying in the hospital bed. Run...' Three minutes later, I got the same call again. I was numb. I rushed to the hospital to find Ananta dead," the 31-year-old Monir said.

The next day, Monir lost his job of a Bengali lecturer in a private college. "One day, I got a call from an unknown international number and was played a recording from the Holy Quran. I left my rented house in Sylhet to Dhaka. My neighbours later told me that two bikers, their faces covered with helmets, had repeatedly come looking for me. Today, I can't sleep without taking pills. I can almost hear Ananta say — 'they will kill anyone they can lay their hands on. That's how they want to make a name for the organization (Ansarullah Bangla Team)'," he added. Monir, like Ananya, doesn't want to inform the cops. "We believe cops leak most of the information to these extremists," Monir said.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 31 May 2015 12:16

Joyanta, we would be more interested in knowing your own impressions and experiences.

Joyanta · Post by **Joyanta** » 31 May 2015 14:09

Rahul da, the situation is worse than one can imagine for the Atheist and Humanist bloggers, writers and online activists. Each month Islamic fanatics are killing the most prominent writers of youth who voiced against Islamic bigotry, misconception and lies. The Al govt. is now more of a fascist regime who only cares about being on power and knowing the mindset of BD masses they are silent about these killings. The freethinker bloggers whose activism created the ground for Shahbag uprising in favor war crimes tribunal and banning of Jamat-Shibir are now the most helpless people in BD. After Avijit Roy’s murder Hasina’s son said to Reuters that AL doesn’t want to associate themselves with the so called Atheists as BNP-Jamat nexus will use it against them in national politics.

I used to visit all the secular and free-thinker platforms and I knew all the four people killed so far. They were killed because people starts question their beliefs after reading their blogs/books and Islam never faced a more serious threat in BD land as a small but sizeable part of BD youth now openly expresses their views against Islam.

After Washikur Babu’s murder many of them stopped writing, few of them migrated and others hiding or restricted their activities. Every time a freethinker dies the moderate Muslims justifies the murder by complaining that these bloggers were hurting their religious sentiment and they should have been prosecuted or brought under justice and blame the Govt. for being soft on them. The leftist, pseudo seculars (Mostly AL and their types) do the same. I think the case for BD freethinkers is almost gone for an uncertain period and radical Islamist will regain the control if somehow Hasina falls. The fear is that they are now grasping AL in the grass root level.

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 31 May 2015 18:54

Joyanta, welcone to BR. We rarely have insights on Bdesh from someone who actually lives in Bdesh. So stick around and keep us updated on the situation in Bdesh.

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 31 May 2015 19:47

Joyanta,

Why are Islamists killing only Atheist/Humanist bloggers and not Hindu bloggers? Is it because Atheists are seen as western stooges & have more clout internationally can damage BD Islamist interests? Or is it because Muslims see Atheism as a better route (or identify thus) to get out of Islam than turning to Buddhism, Jainism or Christianity?

Aren't Islamists killing BD Hindus anymore (than number of atheists killed)? Or we just don't read about Hindu deaths because news agencies don't report them or we too don't care about them? Or BD Muslims are ok with Hindus but not ok with Atheists?

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 01 Jun 2015 08:23

SwamyG wrote:

Understand the key players and meticulous work that has been happening the last 9-12 months. Amazing.

http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/ ... 843264.ece
The contact was done at considerable domestic political expense for Hasina, as she was the only leader of a Muslim-majority country to breach his diplomatic isolation. But, the calculated risk has apparently paid off.

The relationship has since become the mainstay of Modi Government’s ‘neighbourhood first’ policy, with his key aides led by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval staying focused on the Eastern border.

The former spymaster, who had identified infiltration from Bangladesh as India’s biggest security challenge, has been the driving force for the revived partnership, especially the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) and its fallout on improving the security cooperation.

The recent track 1.5 event on India-Bangladesh ties at India Habitat Centre here showcased the importance of ties with Dhaka. Last year, it was organised by another think tank, but significantly the main partner this time along with Bangladesh High Commission was India Foundation run by Doval’s son, Shourya Doval.

Not surprisingly, the event was inaugurated by Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, with Central ministers taking part in discussion panels and the valedictory speech was by Ajit Doval.

“Anybody, who lives in Delhi, knows how rare getting so many ministers together for same function is,” quipped Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to India, Syed Moazzam Ali.

Ajit Doval’s remarks were a window to the thinking of the one-year-old government, when he termed Bangladesh India’s “most important neighbour”. “They have gone much beyond what we have asked,” he said, approvingly.

While the BJP during its time in the Opposition stalled the progress of the constitutional amendment of the Land Boundary Bill in the Rajya Sabha, Modi took it up as a personal commitment to Hasina. At their meetings in New York and Kathmandu, Hasina used to bring it up and Modi reassured her it will be done.

For Modi, there were two important liaison officers; Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj to reach out to other political parties and RSS pracharak-turned-general secretary Ram Madhav to get the party units to fall in line.

Madhav has been the PM’s eyes and ears on the Track 2 channel with some key countries, and Bangladesh is not an exception. A diplomatic source described Madhav’s role as “lynchpin”.

It was the creation of an internal consensus, along with the outreach to the TMC and other parties by Sushma which led to the right circumstances for the Land Boundary Bill to be passed without a single dissenting vote in Parliament.

The Foreign Secretary, along with his officials in the MEA and the Indian ambassador in Bangladesh Pankaj Saran, had been working to deliver the message that implementation of the long-pending LBA was necessary for taking forward the relations.

Besides Sushma Swaraj, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh has been a votary for stronger ties, especially due to his background of having fought in the 1971 Bangladesh ‘Liberation War’ as a young Second Lieutenant.

Of course, the patron-in-chief for India-Bangladesh ties has been President Pranab Mukherjee. “During every meeting, he noted that Land Boundary Agreement was important to increase trust levels,” said a person who is known to be close to Mukherjee.

Joyanta · Post by **Joyanta** » 01 Jun 2015 09:30

Supratik thanks. Actually I registered long ago because of my interest in Indian Military but didn't feel I could contribute as the folks here are mostly knowledgeable ones. I would still prefer staying as a lurker but recently the situation has gone to that extent that I decided to post some news link from BD. At least that will keep you updated about the recent condition in BD. I would like to add that people from WB are now well-connected to BD people via social networks. I can post links of some FB groups where Bangalis from both side interact.

Joyanta · Post by **Joyanta** » 01 Jun 2015 10:17

RamaY, BD Islamists kill Atheist, Hindus, Adivasi/Upajatis and even moderate/progressive muslims. Last year a Maulana was killed for expressing secular/softer views of Islam in TV shows. BD Hindus are a victim to Islam right from the Independence just as historically Hindus in the subcontinent are a victim to Islam. But right now Hindus in BD are not getting killed for their belief or practicing and expressing their views.

It is not just the Muslims, people from all religion and belief around the world sees having scientific, progressive, humanistic views as a better route than turning to traditional belief systems. Every day I see hundreds of Indians expressing similar views in social media.

BD Hindus never stood against Islamists oppressions; be it politically or ideologically. They just got beaten and left the country. They never attacked Islamist ideas; they did not even utilize their cultural and ideological supremacy over Islamist. Atheist/Humanists in BD started doing that and it’s just after Internet got popularity in the last decade. Since Islamist doesn’t have any proper answer to rational criticism by Freethinker, they started doing what their scriptures and their great prophet told them. Islamists are never ok with anybody, not even with themselves. BD muslims consider Atheist/Freethinker as western stooge as well as Indian stooge. A big percentage of these bloggers actually came from Hindu background which you can see from the name of the persons already killed. News agencies report atrocities against minorities but of course most of the incidents don't get to the news papers.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 01 Jun 2015 16:02

"NE Chakmas ask PM to raise tribal rights issue in Dhaka"
http://www.nyoooz.com/guwahati/116704/n ... e-in-dhaka

head of Narendra Modi`s visit to Bangladesh, the Chakma community of the northeast has asked the Prime Minister to raise with Dhaka the issue of alleged human rights violation against Jummas (tribal communities) in the Chittagong Hill Tract (CHT) of the neighbouring country. The Chakma National Council of India (CNCI), the body spearheading the rights of Chakmas living in the northeast and other parts of the country, said India being one of the largest democracies in the world and a key player in the subcontinent, it was the country`s moral obligation to raise the issue of CHT in bilateral talks with Bangladesh. CNCI president Anirudha Chakma said the resolution of the CHT dispute was important for India and New Delhi should play a proactive role in prevailing upon Dhaka to stopping alleged persecution of tribal people in CHT.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 01 Jun 2015 16:03

"Vajpayee Honored With Friends Of Bangladesh Liberation War Award"
http://fitnhit.com/news/vajpayee-honour ... ard/12944/

Former Prime Minister Of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee was set to be honored by Bangladesh for his outstanding support for the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971 when he was a Lok Sabha member.

According to a Foreign Ministry Spokes Person said Bangladesh will hand over Vajpayee’s “Friends of Bangladesh Liberation War Award” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his upcoming visit to the country from 6 June.

The official said in a statement “From the very beginning of the Liberation War (in 1971) he (Vajpayee) took a firm stand in favour of Bangladesh’s independence as the then president of Bharatya Jana Sangh and Lok Sabha member he mobilised campaign at home and in international arena for the rights of Bangladesh’s people.”

According to the officials Dhaka decided to send the martyrs’ family members a letter alongside a certificate to be signed by the Bangladesh premier expressing tributes for their contributions.

The Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi was the first “foreign friend” to be conferred with the ‘Bangladesh Liberation War Honour Award’. Her daughter-in-law and Congress party president Sonia Gandhi received the honour on her behalf in 2012 at a special ceremony.

Most of the subsequent recipients were also from India which extended the most crucial support for Bangladesh’s independence with incumbent President Pranab Mukherjee being one of them.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also approved a proposal to honor the families of the members of Indian armed forces for sacrificing their lives for the cause of Bangladesh’s independence.

It was a “national responsibility” on the part of Bangladesh to acknowledge formally the supreme sacrifices of Indian soldiers.

Bangladesh decided to honor the 1971 “foreign friends” soon after the ruling Awami League was elected to power in 2008.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 02 Jun 2015 16:17

"Chairs banned in Bangladesh mosques"
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cf ... 0602245912

DHAKA — A ban on using chairs in mosques has provoked outrage in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, with critics saying it will exclude the elderly and the physically challenged from prayers.

The Islamic Foundation, an autonomous government agency, issued the fatwa over the weekend, saying devotees must instead use prayer mats.
But the move has attracted criticism both from within the government and Muslim clerics.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told a weekly cabinet meeting on Monday she was "stunned", according to media reports, while pro-opposition Islamic groups reacted with fury.

"We strongly protest this faulty and fictitious fatwa," said a statement issued by a group of Islamic leaders and clerics.

"Chairs have been used for prayers in mosques for years," said Abdul Latif Nejami, one of the signatories.

Muslims in the conservative nation traditionally kneel on the floor to pray.

But in recent years most of the country's half a million mosques have allowed elderly worshippers to sit on chairs.

"They issued the edict by consulting with the traditions of Prophet Mohammed and his companions and practices over the centuries," the head of the Islamic Foundation Shamim Afzal told AFP.

Afzal said chairs spoiled the beauty of the mosques, and that there had been a similar move to ban them in India.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 02 Jun 2015 16:35

"Roundup: Bangladesh wants regional, global efforts to end human trafficking"
http://www.globalpost.com/article/65683 ... rafficking

DHAKA, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh has called for regional and global efforts to resolve the human trafficking problem, saying poverty is not essentially the only reason behind human trafficking.

"One thing is very clear, that poverty is not the only cause behind human trafficking. It's not essentially the main driver. The driver is something else. That doesn't mean we're saying poverty is not a reason," Bangladesh's Foreign Secretary Md. Shahidul Haque told reporters at the Foreign Ministry on Monday.

Terming human trafficking as a regional and global problem, Haque said Bangladesh or any other country cannot resolve it alone as it is a multi-causer, multi-dimensional and multi-layer problem.
...
...
The foreign secretary said there is a big criminal network in the region and a huge sum of money is exchanged annually due to human and drug trafficking.

He added that the government is also open to addressing the issue bilaterally and mentioned that an memorandum of understanding will be signed with India on combating human trafficking during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 04 Jun 2015 00:05

" LIC gets nod to operate in Bangladesh"
http://www.business-standard.com/articl ... 019_1.html

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has been allowed to form a joint venture in Bangladesh, becoming the second foreign insurer to operate in the country, officials said on Wednesday.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 04 Jun 2015 22:59

Joyanta wrote:........

plz check PM. top left corner.

Karthik S · Post by **Karthik S** » 05 Jun 2015 02:39

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... =TOI_AShow

We'll give 17,000 acres of land to BD but get only 7,000 as part of the Land Boundary Agreement?

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 05 Jun 2015 09:04

Yes, a loss of 40sq km but a lot of trouble saved,

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 05 Jun 2015 20:13

"Euphoric reception awaits PM Modi in maiden visit to Bangladesh"
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/ ... angladesh/

Bangladesh is all set to roll out a red carpet welcome to Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he arrives here tomorrow on his maiden visit amid expectations that the two-day trip will open new vistas in bilateral ties. - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/ ... 5Ddfa.dpuf

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 05 Jun 2015 20:25

http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2015 ... ndicators/
"How Poorer Bangladesh Outpaces India on Human-Development Indicators"

India is richer, in terms of per-capita economic output, than its smaller neighbor, Bangladesh, and a greater proportion of Indians are connected to the Internet and have cellphones.

But if you look more closely at other measures of development such as life expectancy, child survival and the proportion of girls to boys in secondary education, and Bangladesh comes out ahead.

The two countries spend the same proportion (1%) of their gross domestic product on healthcare, but India devotes more of its GDP (3%) to education than Bangladesh (2%).

Still, 20 years of targeted financial support in Bangladesh to get girls to go to high school rather than, for example, get married, has helped dramatically shifted the needle on human-development indicators there.

etc.

Joyanta · Post by **Joyanta** » 06 Jun 2015 08:35

"Hope so high about reaching bilateral ties to new level through Indian PM Modi’s Bangladesh visit"
http://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/h ... high-92818

"Connectivity is the cake, and the land deal would be the icing on it," said a senior Bangladeshi diplomat, rating both the premiers highly for breaking away from traditional politics of suspicion to pursue economic development.

The clearance of a dozen deals by the cabinets of the two countries is a clear indication that the two sides want to integrate economic activities through rail, road and waterways connectivity.

The word “transit” has been removed from the India-Bangladesh discourse because of the sensitivity of the issue.

On top of the agenda will be rail, road and waterways connectivity for trade between the two neighbours and also with a third country by using each other's territory.

During the visit, a major issue will be the launch of direct bus service between Kolkata and Agartala via Dhaka. The move is being seen as Bangladesh allowing road transit to India, a long standing Indian demand.It will be the first direct bus service connecting Kolkata and the northeast through Bangladesh. Dhaka is set to sweeten the deal further for India by agreeing to start Dhaka-Shillong-Guwahati bus service.

The two countries are considering opening bus services on the Kolkata-Chittagong, Shillong-Chittagong, Khulna-Kolkata and Jessore-Kolkata routes.

Both sides are keen also to strengthen the railway connectivity, particularly to revive the railway links that existed prior to the 1965 India-Pakistan war.

The launch of new bus routes will help accomplish intra-sub-regional road connectivity under the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal framework. The four countries are expected to sign a Motor Vehicle Agreement on June 15 in Thimphu, Bhutan.

On the trade front, the amended 1972 bilateral trade agreement will allow Bangladesh to transport goods to and from any third country such as Nepal and Bhutan using India's highway, waterway and railway.

India can enjoy the same facilities for trade with a third country through Bangladesh. There is also a provision of transit fees for using each other's territory.

The current volume of two-way bilateral trade is around $6.5 billion, of which India's share is around $6 billion. To reduce the trade imbalance, Dhaka will offer lands for setting up an exclusive economic zone to get Indian investment. It will be the first direct bus service connecting Kolkata and the northeast through Bangladesh. Dhaka is set to sweeten the deal further for India by agreeing to start Dhaka-Shillong-Guwahati bus service.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 06 Jun 2015 08:45

Satyen wrote:...

username changed.

Joyanta · Post by **Joyanta** » 06 Jun 2015 08:47

This should have happened earlier. There are a lot of viewers of BD channels in both side of the border(Bengali speaking).

http://en.prothom-alo.com/bangladesh/ne ... d-in-India

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 06 Jun 2015 14:05

Blast from the past. From a 1971 newspaper. However, put here lest some in BD forget...

ArmenT · Post by **ArmenT** » 06 Jun 2015 22:03

From the BBC:
India and Bangladesh sign historic territory swap deal

Bangladesh and India have signed a historic agreement to simplify their border by exchanging more than 150 enclaves of land.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi ratified the deal with his counterpart Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka.
Thousands of Bangladeshis inhabit more than 50 enclaves in India, while Indians live in around 100 areas within Bangladesh.
The countries will now swap territories and residents can choose where to live.
...
...
More than 50,000 people currently live in tiny enclaves - citizens of one country but located in the other. Under the agreement, both sides will swap the enclaves enabling their citizens to finally reside in their own countries.
...
...
The terms of the long-awaited treaty
The two countries will swap up to 200 tiny enclaves, a move that should improve the lives of many inhabitants who live in squalid conditions
Each country will now begin to administer enclaves on its territory and enclave citizens will be able to choose where they want to live and which nationality they would prefer

No offence to Bangladeshis here, but I'm just wondering if the citizenship option will work in one direction only.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 06 Jun 2015 23:34

Many from the Bangladeshi side - that includes some Hindu minorities and a few poor Muslims – would be crossing over to India. They are pinning hopes to do better in the relatively more prosperous Indian economy. Delhi has already allocated a huge Rs. 3,008 crore package for their rehabilitation in West Bengal.

Karthik S · Post by **Karthik S** » 07 Jun 2015 05:35

What are we getting out of this deal?

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 07 Jun 2015 06:50

^^^ Mainly, securable borders.

A thaw in relations with Bangladesh with other possibilities arising.

devesh · Post by **devesh** » 07 Jun 2015 08:43

nothing will come out of this. no strategic gains. nothing at all. for BD, it will be "psychological" victory: "look, we got more land from them by giving up less than what they're giving us."

for India, only mythical "gains" which will be absolutely un-quantifiable in any way whatsoever.

the only loss will be that we will be giving up our sovereign land to an Islamic nation.

Karthik S · Post by **Karthik S** » 07 Jun 2015 08:57

A_Gupta wrote:^^^ Mainly, securable borders.

A thaw in relations with Bangladesh with other possibilities arising.

Sorry, but honestly why we have to give away our land, taken in 50k people to secure the border? Couldn't we have secured the border without this agreement?

Nikhil T · Post by **Nikhil T** » 07 Jun 2015 09:23

devesh wrote:nothing will come out of this. no strategic gains. nothing at all. for BD, it will be "psychological" victory: "look, we got more land from them by giving up less than what they're giving us."

for India, only mythical "gains" which will be absolutely un-quantifiable in any way whatsoever.

the only loss will be that we will be giving up our sovereign land to an Islamic nation.

Think we're evaluating the deal with narrow lens of who got more. The land we exchanged was made up of tens of tiny enclaves within each other's territory. The hectares we got - It was already administered by Bangladesh since it was surrounded by Bangladesh and had no direct access to India. As a result, our border was a crazy zigzag and will now be a straight line - which means lesser confusion and fewer infiltrations. In essence, this converts a de facto position on the ground to de jure.

This is a great deal for both nations and kudos to Modi and MMS for working on it. Anyone who wants to get their FAQ answered should read this document from MEA:
http://www.mea.gov.in/in-focus-topic.ht ... +Agreement

Also PS, what's with the blatant Islamophobia that we're 'giving land' to an Islamic nation? I guess then you will have no issues if we 'give away' land to an atheist country ..umm like China? Let's argue on merits of the deal rather than the religion of that country.