One piece of history shared by India and Bangladesh is the creator of their national anthems – Rabindranath Tagore. The Nobel Prize winning poet has managed to bring the two countries together on his 150th birth anniversary. The two neighbors are planning to celebrate the occasion jointly.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited the Indian capital recently. Her meeting with President Pratibha Patil and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was nothing short of a coup for both countries. Even as Indian authorities described her visit as ‘a landmark success’, Hasina termed it as ‘a 100% success’. This visit is expected to bring in the much-needed peace in the South Asian region.
Apart from the bonhomie, a slew of pacts were signed between New Delhi and Dhaka. India has agreed to give rail access to the two land-locked neighbors in the Himalayan region, Nepal and Bhutan. This will provide them with alternative sea access and also admission in Bangladesh market.
Bangladesh has been keeping away from the ambitious Asian Superhighway and rail link projects connecting Bulgaria in Europe to Bangkok in Thailand. Hasina has agreed to both projects, which will be immensely helpful for India in connecting the isolated North East states with the rest of the nation.
India has agreed to help in renovation of Bangladesh railway network and decongesting of rivers, both of which have not seen any action since British times. In this regard, India is extending a whopping one billion dollar credit.
Other pacts signed include the one to fight terrorism, of which both the countries are victims. To make its intent clear, Bangladesh made way for the arrest of ULFA militants engaged in anti-national operation from Bangladesh.
Though this is just the beginning, it is a beginning nevertheless.
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