From Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi: India might be keen to give the ‘Most Favoured Nation’ status to neighbouring Bangladesh, but the Indo-Bangladesh relations as a whole would not improve unless the ground realities like cross border terrorism, mafia activities and hurdles by even the official agencies are not corrected, Deputy Chief Minister Bindo M Lanong has observed.
Addressing the valedictory session of the two-day seventh North East Business Summit here, Lanong said that the role of both the state and the non-state actors have to change if bilateral relationship between the two neighbours are to improve.
“But unfortunately this is not happenning as of now,” he said.
Stating that both the countries could join hands in making this part of the world a hub of business activities, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had said that Bangladesh was blessed with natural resources, especially natural gas and India was blessed with entrepreneurs and capital.
“That is why India is very keen to gift Bangladesh the ‘Most Preferred Nation’ status for trade across the border (so that) trade between the two countries takes place almost tariff free. We should reach out to Bangladesh,” he said.
Lanong said that security forces and customs officials on both sides of the border create as many hurdles as possible for trade and transit which is any case limited for their own interest. While security forces and officials normally avoid posting in Northeast they however prefer to remain in bordering areas for obvious reasons, he said.
Secondly, militant outfits of all hues of Northeast use Bangladesh as corridor and safe heaven. Now the situation has improved but a lot more has to be done to stop them from such anti-India activities, he said.
Both Lanong and Chidambaram praised Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, saying that India today has the best of relationship with Bangladesh, thanks to her vision and statesmanship.
While Lanong was part of the Prime Ministerial delegation to Dhaka in September, Chidamabaram had visited that country before the summit meeting to prepare the groundwork.