‘Tarique Rahman keen to visit India, but concerned about achievements’

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is keen to visit India at the earliest but is concerned about take away points and achievements that he will have to produce before his audience back home after a visit of this nature, said a diplomatic source of Bangladesh to The Hindu on Wednesday (9 September).

The official said that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman might have skipped the multilateral BRICS summit for which he was invited by India, but that does not mean that he is trying to avoid an immediate and important neighbour like India, which has contributed and sacrificed immensely during Bangladesh’s Liberation War of 1971.

PM Tarique is aware that he may have to visit Delhi in a bilateral framework by November or early December, as the Ganga Water Treaty needs to be renewed at the earliest, as it will otherwise lapse by the end of December, said the official.

The official said that Tarique Rahman’s visit requires setting of the agenda through intensive meetings between the officials of the two sides that are yet to begin. But Dhaka believes that apart from the Ganga Water Treaty which is a “rolling achievement” as it is expected to be renewed after having survived for 30 years, there is a need to look at other areas where the bilateral relationship is stuck.

“For example, in case of restarting full scale visa facilities, lifting of trade restrictions that were imposed during the interim government in Dhaka, and usage of land ports, and restarting of full scale commercial relationship are some of the areas where there is possibility of setting up some solid goals for achievement,” said the official.

He also pointed out that one area where India could send a positive message is in the field of energy as Bangladesh is suffering from an acute crunch in energy supply. “It will be a confidence building measure if India can assist Bangladesh in dealing with this challenge,” said the official who indicated that Bangladesh is looking at commercial and consular issues separately from hard political issues like Sheikh Hasina’s presence in India.

The official described the Ganga Water Treaty as a success of bilateral diplomacy that was sealed in 1996 during Sheikh Hasina’s first prime ministerial stint, and subsequently functioned in BNP years in 2001-’06.

“Failing to renew this treaty before the year end will reflect negatively on the relationship,” said the official noting that delaying this renewal is counterproductive as already there are voices in India like that of JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha who have started opposing renewal of the treaty citing that the treaty does not benefit Bihar.

“Prolonging this process will encourage such critics of this treaty to come forward,” he said.

A visit by PM Tarique, he said, has to be designed in such a way that it will kick start the India-Bangladesh relationship to its fullest potential. “Only then can the Prime Minister return home with a substantial achievement in hand from Delhi,” said the official who added that PM Tarique is personally committed to holding dialogue with India at the highest level.

The official noted that India’s High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi has been holding rounds of discussions in Dhaka with multiple high-level officials, including the newly elected President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, but the bureaucrat-level talks are necessary to create an agenda for PM Tarique’s visit.

“We are open minded about building an agenda for a visit by our Prime Minister. On some issues there can be relaxation of our positions, and on certain issues we would prefer the relation to move ahead,” he said.