Dhaka/NEW DELHI: Bangladesh and India on Saturday inked strip maps to demarcate over 4,000-kilometre international border between the two neighbours in a bid to settle the long-standing frontier-related discord ahead of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s visit to the country next month.
“This signing of the strip maps containing the Bangladesh-India International border boundary line coordination point will end an outstanding issue which (has) remained unresolved for the past 65 years,” said bangladesh Land Minister Rezaul Karim Hira at a function in the capital to mark the launch of the signing process.
A strip map is an unscaled drawing of a route to include critical points along the border, roadside features and town facilities on a simple flip-over style map.
Rajeet Mitter, the Indian High Commissioner here, and Tariq Ahmad Karim, his Bangladesh counterpart in New Delhi, were designated to sign jointly some 11,000 maps, expected to be completed ahead of the Prime Minister’s September 6-7 Dhaka visit.
“The two envoys are ambassadors plenipotentiary or officials having authority to resolve dispute and that is why they are entrusted with the task of signing the maps,” a Union Home Ministry official said.
Officials said the two envoys have already signed some of 1,149 maps.
The two neigbours formally acknowledged their 1947 boundary lines by signing the strip maps on Saturday to demarcate a 4,156-kilometre, mostly porous international border between them to resolve an outstanding issue pending since 1947. (PTI)