Giving transit facility to India
PHOTO: MICHAEL MELFORD
Do Bangladesh and India believe and practice the 'give and take' policy on equitable basis? In the past, Dhaka and New Delhi signed several treaties and agreements on various issues. But in most of the cases, we saw that India took from us whatever she wanted and we got nothing in return. Share of Teesta water and transit are two separate issues. We are entitled to our due share of Teesta water under the international law. About giving transit facility to India, our people have different opinions. Some support it while others oppose it. Would our leaders, irrespective of political affiliation, kindly tell us their logical reasons in support of transit? Or the reasons why they oppose it? However, we request all concerned to take into consideration the following two important points before signing the transit agreement and make a decision beforehand: 1) Fixing the reasonable rate of transit fees. 2) India must give us a written undertaking that she would not use the transit facility for movement of Indian troops and carrying arms and ammunitions through Bangladesh territory. These two steps, if taken, would avoid misunderstanding between Bangladesh and India in the future. A stitch in time saves nine.
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