From CK Nayak
NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma will accompany Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh during his state visit to Dhaka next month, official sources said here on Wednesday.
The invitation to accompany the Prime Minister on his two-day official tour from September 6 was sent in an official communiqué from the PMO addressed to Dr Sangma.
“Your presence will convey the immense importance given to neighbourly relationship and cross-border friendship between the two countries,” the letter to Dr Sangma stated.
Dr Sangma’s visit to Dhaka as part of the high-level delegation will assume added significance for Meghalaya in view of the resumption of border trade with the recent opening of a border haat at Kalaichar in West Garo Hills district.
Besides, the contentious border demarcation issue in the Meghalaya-Bangladesh sector of the international border is also likely to be solved during the visit of the Prime Minister. Both the countries have already settled most of the border disputes including land under adverse possession and exchange of enclaves.
This will be the first state visit by Dr Manmohan Singh after he assumed power seven years ago though he had visited Dhaka earlier to attend SAARC meetings. Other prominent leaders like UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Vice President Hamid Ali Ansari and other cabinet ministers have also visited the neighbouring country on separate occasions.
With the return of Sheikh Hasina to power in Bangladesh in 2009, the trajectory of Indo-Bangla relations has seen a quantum leap.
There has been series of high-level visits between the countries since then, starting with the Bangladeshi premier’s visit to India in 2010 during which India promised help to Bangladesh in several areas impacting its economic interest.
Bangladesh, on its part, has arrested and handed over to India several prominent leaders of militant organisations based in the North East like ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and other top ULFA leaders like Raju Barua, Chitraban Hazarika, Sashadhar Choudhury, besides Manipur-based UNLF’s chief RK Sanayaima alias RK Meghen.
