BD-Pakistan train transit through India

[eastwatch]

South Asian Media Net

Pak okays India's train service proposal
Sunday, September 13,2009

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Railways has technically approved an Indian proposal to launch a South Asian regional train service between Bangladesh, India and Pakistan and the proposal has been forwarded to the ministry of foreign affairs and the commerce ministry for further evaluation.

The proposal had been floated by the Indian railways two weeks ago, officials said. ‘Experts have acknowledged potential of the South Asian route and they see it more easy to operate,’ the officials said, adding that the three countries had broad gauge railway tracks and even the railways’ operating system was similar as it had been established by the British rulers in the region. The Indian proposal came in the backdrop of reports that the ECO planned to launch an Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul service.

The Indian proposal also said that the proposed service could be a milestone in developing bilateral trade between Pakistan and other Saarc countries like Nepal and Bhutan as these countries would be accessible through the transit trade of this train service.

Officials of the ministry of railways said that experts had suggested Dhaka-Delhi-Lahore train was viable in all respects and if the need arose it could be extended to Karachi or Islamabad.

‘The initial trials would be container operations followed by passenger services,’ the ministry report said.

However, the ministry has forwarded its experts’ report to the foreign office for the feedback over the policy issue.

 

[eastwatch]

South Asian Media Net

Pak okays India's train service proposal
Sunday, September 13,2009

I think the connectivity proposal is a great positive news. It has the potentiality to change not only the economy, but also the psychology of the region's 1.4 billion people.

 

[SeaGull]

I think the connectivity proposal is a great positive news. It has the potentiality to change not only the economy, but also the psychology of the region's 1.4 billion people.

GREAT NEWS - this should have happened long time back.

 

[EjazR]

Definitely good news, but it still needs approval from the foreign ministry in Pakistan before it goes ahead.

 

[idune]

nothing meaningful going to happen, as far as Bangladesh to Pakistan rail link. India is more interested get rail access through Pakistan to Thehran and Afghanistan. And rail link through Bangladesh to india north east and perhaps in future to south east asia.

 

[TopCat]

nothing meaningful going to happen, as far as Bangladesh to Pakistan rail link. India is more interested get rail access through Pakistan to Thehran and Afghanistan. And rail link through Bangladesh to india north east and perhaps in future to south east asia.

And what is wrong with that???

 

[leonblack08]

GREAT NEWS - this should have happened long time back.

I second that sir.

But it is not finalised yet.Pakistan foreign and commerce ministry yet to decide on it.

 

[TopCat]

I second that sir.

But it is not finalised yet.Pakistan foreign and commerce ministry yet to decide on it.

The proposal is forwarded by the Foreign ministry to the Rail ministry. So in a sense foreign ministry already approved before they frowarded it. Also the decission is political and nothing to do with the bureocracy.

 

[idune]

And what is wrong with that???

well, for starter india will try to use Bangladesh and Pakistan territory for its benefit but when it comes to giving its own territory for Bangladesh and Pakistan connectivity india will use one excuse or another to block it. India promised Bangladesh access to Nepal many years back and used many excuses to block it. Dipu moni just came back with hollow promises from india and once india gets its transit through Bnagladesh, it will apply same tactics.

With indian long record of broken promises and violating treaty obligations do you expect anyone to believe on indian promises??? You got to be kidding us!

By the time india deploy its tactics we will see folks who cheering indian promises switching their id.

 

[eastwatch]

nothing meaningful going to happen, as far as Bangladesh to Pakistan rail link. India is more interested get rail access through Pakistan to Thehran and Afghanistan. And rail link through Bangladesh to india north east and perhaps in future to south east asia.

All international treaties are reciprocal. It is good for Pakistan if India uses the Lahore-Tehran-Istanbul-europe train route, because the use will give Pakistan many million dollars of fee. This way, the fees that Pakistan will pay to India for using its rail road to BD will be a little compensated.

Similarly, we must also ask India to use our infrastructure to go to the SE. This way, we will get our fees. Otherwise, the balance of payment between BD-India will remain heavily tited in favour of India. We cannot just allow India to keep on taking our hard-earned dollars by giving us transit.

Therefore, both Pakistan and BD, instead of denying transits, should rather ask India to use them. By the way, Lahore-Kabul-central asia transit will remain off limit for India for many years to come. Simply speaking, India cannot reciprocate it.

 

[idune]

All international treaties are reciprocal. It is good for Pakistan if India uses the Lahore-Tehran-Istanbul-europe train route, because the use will give Pakistan many million dollars of fee. This way, the fees that Pakistan will pay to India for using its rail road to BD will be a little compensated.

Similarly, we must also ask India to use our infrastructure to go to the SE. This way, we will get our fees. Otherwise, the balance of payment between BD-India will remain heavily tited in favour of India. We cannot just allow India to keep on taking our hard-earned dollars by giving us transit.

Therefore, both Pakistan and BD, instead of denying transits, should rather ask India to use them. By the way, Lahore-Kabul-central asia transit will remain off limit for India for many years to come. Simply speaking, India cannot reciprocate it.

Once again you are coming up with naive assessment and masking the fact reciprocity become effective when both parties have means to enforce it. In Pakistan case it has power to make sure Indian reciprocity. But Bangladesh does not have power to force Indian reciprocity. With long list of Indian violation from treaty obligation NO ONE can trust such agreement or reciprocity from india. And your continuous inane argument failed and will be failing to restore Indian credibility or change ground reality.

You sound more like Indians when you preaching “many million dollars” dream. The strategic and security risk of such Indian access directly related to sovereignty and is not even worth billion of dollars, let alone millions. And you want to substitute few million dollors of transit fees for close to 4 billion dollors trade deficit? This is most horrendous and deceptive statement one can come up with. But offcourse your preaching has everything to do with subscribing Indian deception.

 

[EjazR]

@idune

Can you concretely give some "breach of sovereignty" example that may happen by transit trade?

 

[TOPGUN]

Nothing wrong with it sounds like great news . These are steps to move towards friendship & peace.

 

[KSRaj]

You sound more like Indians when you preaching “many million dollars” dream. The strategic and security risk of such Indian access directly related to sovereignty and is not even worth billion of dollars, let alone millions. And you want to substitute few million dollors of transit fees for close to 4 billion dollors trade deficit? This is most horrendous and deceptive statement one can come up with. But offcourse your preaching has everything to do with subscribing Indian deception.

While you keep mentioning about "trade defecit", do you realise that all your proposals will only ensure that the 'defecit' remains forever!?

 

[batmannow]

great news, i hope i can be in bangladesh one more time in my life...!