Bangladesh, India can benefit from cooperative approach
Bangladesh and India can benefit from working together if the two countries take on a cooperative approach to problem solving, said Indian High Commissioner Pankaj Saran yesterday.
Speaking at a meet-the-press programme organised by Jatiya Press Club, he said cooperation between neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and India does not mean the loss of sovereignty.
“When we cooperate on a certain set of issues, it does not follow that via this cooperation we somehow sacrifice our sovereignty. India respects the sovereignty, the territorial integrity and the independence of Bangladesh,” he added.
Regarding a question about why Bangladeshis are still killed at the Indo-Bangla border despite assurance of no more killing from top Indian leaders, Pankaj claimed that there has been no border killing in the last six months.
When a questioner retorted that border killings occurred in April and May this year and that two people were killed just today [Wednesday], Pankaj said, “I knew that no border killings had taken place in the last six months. If something has happened today or yesterday, we regret it. Definitely I will check it out. To be honest, I was not aware of this [today's killings]. This should not happen.”
He reiterated that no killing should be condoned or justified and also reminded that it is a joint responsibility of the two countries.
Pankaj pointed to an interesting contrast that although Bangladesh has concerns over the Tipaimukh project, it also wants power from it. “We have a situation where in one hand Bangladesh has included the Tipaimukh project from which they would like to receive power but on the other hand they have also expressed concerns over it. So, we have to reconcile the two and there is a need to recognise the contradictory situation,” he said.
Pankaj admitted that there has been delay on their part to ratify the protocol on the 1974 land boundary agreement and signing of Teesta water sharing deal but assured that India is dedicated in implementing those commitments by resolving their internal political compulsions.
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