StingRoy
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Bangladesh soil won't be used for terror in India
NEW DELHI: Expressing its commitment to fight the scourge of terrorism, Bangladesh on Saturday assured India that it will not allow its territory to be used by elements working against the interests of any country.
Addressing a programme to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore here, Bangladeshi planning minister A K Khandker said,'' We in Bangladesh firmly believe that for our region to develop and achieve peace, prosperity and stability, it must be free from the scourge of terrorism and extremism."
He added, "To this the government of Sheikh Hasina has launched an uncompromising fight against terrorism, extremism and militancy. She has also assured India that Bangladesh will not allow its soil to be used by elements working against the interests of any country."
The minister's comments gains significance as it comes close on the heels of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden's killing in an US operation. Laden, who was holed up in a million-dollar mansion in Abbottabad in close proximity to Islamabad, has raised questions in the US and India on the assistance being given to terrorist outfits in Pakistani territory.
Khandker, a retired Air Vice Marshal, who had also participated in the 1971 War of Bangladesh's liberation from Pakistani rule, said, "The spontaneous support that we received from the government and the people of India can never be forgotten..."
"The courage, the spirit of sacrifice, the spirit of the people of India particularly the visionary leadership of Indira Gandhi (the then Indian Prime Minister), who announced her recognition of Bangladesh as an independent and sovereign nation even before the war ended can perhaps never be fully reciprocated by the people of Bangladesh," he added.
