AL-led govt revitalised Indo-Bangla relations

India-Bangladesh relations suffered many conflicts and bitterness for decades but have been revitalised in recent years under the leadership of the ruling Awami League-led government, said Sector Commanders Forum (SCF) leaders yesterday.

Although the two neighbouring countries had an inseparable relationship during Bangladesh's birth, relations deteriorated after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's assassination in 1975, they added.

The SCF leaders were addressing a seminar on the issue in the capital's Liberation War Museum.

"The first major leap in the bilateral relationship of the two countries was Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's 2010 visit to India," said SCF acting general secretary Harun Habib.

He added that India's recent ratification to the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement had completely restored the relationship. "Those who attempt to argue against the relationship do not have the foresight to understand its meaning," he said.

SCF Vice Chairman Maj Gen (retd) KM Shafiullah termed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit a milestone.

"The countries have always been friends but after Bangabandhu's death the relationship suffered because of some people's personal interests," he said.