UNB, Dhaka
Apparently in a subtle deviation from the country’s past foreign policy on the sensitive issue of giving transit to India, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Hasan Mahmud Wednesday said transit is not a political but an economic issue that should be considered from the perspective of mutual benefit.
“Some quarters want to link politics with transit. It will not be correct to make an economic issue into politically dominant issue,” he told reporters at the Foreign Ministry, a day after the matter hit headlines.
Recently, Indian High Commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty made similar observation to journalists at the Foreign Ministry-that transit is not a political issue but an economic one.
When pointed out that Dhaka and Delhi hold an identical view on the matter of this proposed passage for India crossing over Bangladesh, Mahmud, however, disagreed.
For a pretty long time India has pressed for the transit facility to transport its products to the landlocked seven northeastern states (seven sisters).
Bangladesh has long been seeking road connectivity through India for direct trading with Nepal and Bhutan, but India has not given access to Bangladesh. The Bangladesh-Nepal transit route through Banglabandha land-port couldn’t takeoff.
The issue of providing transit to India could not be settled by any governments in the past because of political sensitivity linked with it as another school of thought fears that it might jeopardize country’s security and sovereignty. Mahmud said it is not transit rather connectivity for trade facilitation. Since Bangladesh has huge trade deficit with India, “we need to take some pragmatic decisions to reduce this trade gap”.
Pointing to free economy and globalized world, the state minister said it is an era of interdependence. “We feel that we need some practical decisions protecting the interest of the country.”
In reply to a question, Mahmud said Bangladesh and India signed a
trade agreement during President Zia’s times providing trade facilities through waterways, roads and airways.
Presently, he said, India is using the waterway to transport its goods and the decision of using the road route through Bangladesh is under consideration.
“Any decision will be taken in the interest of Bangladesh, in the interest of trade facilitation and in the interest of reducing the trade gap with India,” said the state minister of the new government.
Replying to a question, he said Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will be here on both goodwill and working visit when all bilateral issues would be formally discussed.
On the proposed trade deal with the United States, he said decision about the TIFA was not yet taken. Any decision in this regard will be taken after discussion in cabinet meeting.
Courtesy: nation.ittefaq.com
