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We won't allow anti-India activities: Bangladesh envoy

Prakash M Swamy at United Nations

Sheikh Hasina's government will not allow anti-Indian activities to be carried on in its soil, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abdus Samad Azad said here last week.

"There is no question of our government giving any tacit support to terrorists," he said, adding that "Dhaka always stood for a united India and it valued its friendship with Delhi."

Asked about Bangladesh's relationship with India and Pakistan, he said his country would remain equidistant from both.

"We don't cause either war or tension in the region. What we can do to solve their problems? Our prime minister appealed to Vajpayee and Sharief not to deepen the crisis after they exploded nuclear bombs. But at the same time we are not keen on mediation between the two. But we are keen to make them sit together and sort out issues among themselves without any third party intervention."

On the opposition's charge that Awami League had become pro-India and all the arrangements were a sellout, he said they had a bad mindset and would never see reason.

"Begum Khaleda Zia and her men have no issues to criticise us and take up something like this to gain political mileage," he continued. "But they will not succeed as our prime minister enjoys good support and the people understand her sincerity."

"We have always wanted peaceful relations with Delhi. India is there whether we like it or not and can any one remove it from the planet? We do have problems with Pakistan but we try to work out a good understanding with Islamabad too," Azad said.

"The need of the hour is improving economic co-operation between the neighbors to take our nations to the next century. Problems should not be a roadblock to success," he said.

"There were some hick-ups in the relationship with India but our prime minister has normalized the relationship and put it on a fast track.

Problems would persist between any neighbors and what is required is political will and clear understanding to solve the issues. "Our prime minister has been engaging in talks on a variety of issues such as the Farakka water sharing and we always feel that we can peacefully coexist with India. Problems with India can't be solved over night."

"There are 54 rivers flowing from India into our nation but only one river (Farakka) had remained a contentious issue. We have set up a joint river commission to go into the problems. It meets every three months and takes up issues of mutual interest. Both the countries are now forging ahead after a deadlock spanning over 22 years," he said.

Bangladesh needs help to save itself from natural disasters like floods.

"When we require water, there is no water leading to drought and, when we don't, we get in abundance resulting in floods. India understands our problems and we are getting some international support too in this area," he said.

India and Bangladesh had decided to work more closely in the areas of economic co-operation, cultural exchanges and promoting tourism.

"The inauguration of bus service between Dhaka and Calcutta is in the right direction and people-to-people contact will bring more understanding and improve relations," he said, adding Bangladesh would always remain a true friend of India.

Azad said he felt sad and concerned by the opposition's strike and other actions over what he said were false and flimsy issues that could be discussed informally or in parliament.

One man was killed and nearly 30 others were injured in clashes between pro- and anti-government activists at the opposition-led strike last week. The strike is partly in protest at a government plan to allow Indian goods to be transported over Bangladesh to landlocked north-eastern Indian states. Opposition parties, led by the BNP, have been boycotting parliament since last month and have vowed to intensify their street campaign.

The government had said Bangladesh would earn $ 400 million a year if a deal was reached allowing Bangladeshi trucks to ferry the goods from one Indian border to another.

BNP chief Begum Khaleda Zia has said New Delhi would use the road agreement to send troops and weapons to fight rebels in north-east India, and possibly threaten Bangladesh's sovereignty.

Azad said the strike was unnecessary since the government had not even signed the road passage deal with India.

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