Editorial
Sonia Gandhi’s visit to Dhaka
An opportunity to tackle critical issues
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and India's ruling Congress leader Sonia Gandhi believe --- and we agree with them --- that concerted efforts need to be expended in tackling terrorism and militancy in the interest of a stable and secure future for South Asia. Such unanimity of views must clearly be supported by concrete measures. For Bangladesh and India, indeed for all other member-nations of SAARC, it is of utmost importance that a well-defined strategy be shaped to combat the forces which have of late sought to destabilise the course of life in the region. There are two underlying principles that can underpin such a strategy. Firstly, all nations but especially India and Bangladesh must agree to share intelligence on a regular basis if militancy and terrorism are to be nipped in the bud. Secondly, each country must ensure that its territory is not used by militants to plan attacks anywhere in the region or elsewhere. Inter-state coordination of intelligence sharing is thus crucial.
Mrs. Sonia Gandhi's visit has been an opportunity for Dhaka and Delhi to reassert their traditional political and historical links. That being the reality, it is vital that such irritants as the shootings by India's Border Security Force on the Indo-Bangladesh frontier be put on a leash. The latest Human Rights Watch report on the indiscriminate manner in which BSF continues to shoot Bangladeshis despite earlier Indian assurances of action in this regard casts a shadow on bilateral ties. We think that India must follow up on its professions of friendship with Bangladesh through some needed gestures, the most important being a bringing of the BSF to heel. As the leading figure in India's UPA coalition, Mrs. Gandhi is eminently placed to use her good offices in defusing the situation on the border.
The Congress leader's visit to Dhaka should be seen as a fresh opportunity for a reinforcing of the links between India and Bangladesh. It is a spur to the regional connectivity, in terms of trade, tackling terrorism and promoting people-to-people links, that can be brought to bear on the politics of the region.
The warm feelings towards Bangladesh that Sonia Gandhi has exuded instilled a greater expectation in us that they would find reflection in the practical negotiations over trade, connectivity and transit issues between the two countries. We would like to see a win-win outcome from the current phase of bilateral contacts.
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