Dhaka-Delhi anti-terror panel a possibility: Indian envoy

[BanglaBhoot]

Dhaka, Jan 21 (bdnews24.com) – Indian high commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty on Wednesday said Bangladesh and India might form a new platform to fight terrorism and insurgency across the two countries.

The envoy said the formation of the forum could be discussed during the two-day visit of Indian external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, from Feb. 8, to Bangladesh.

He said Bangladesh and India were expected to sign a new deal on protection and promotion of investments in both countries.

"A new body could be formed that will deal exclusively with the issue of terrorism, insurgency, cross-border crime and so on," Chakravarty told bdnews24.com after his first call on new foreign minister Dipu Moni on Wednesday.

He went to the foreign ministry to discuss the Pranab's upcoming two-day visit.

They also talked about the possibility of the new regional panel or taskforce as was outlined by Awami League in its election manifesto.

The high commissioner said Pranab's priority issues would be some security issues.

"Priority issues immediately would be to deal with certain security issues which I think has been articulated in terms of greater cooperation on security issues.

"(We have to work) so that we can jointly tackle some of the problems of terrorism, the insurgent groups and other wanted people fleeing across the border taking refuge either here or there," he said.

Chakravarty said the bilateral trade treaty, which was renewed after every three years, would be signed during Pranab's visit.

"The other (trade agreement) is a new one which is almost ready to be signed. It is called bilateral investment protection and promotion agreement."

Defending the agreement, the high commissioner said India's investment in Bangladesh and Bangladeshi businessmen money in India must be protected.

He said the two foreign ministers would discuss trade facilitation for reducing the huge trade imbalance.

Chakravarty stressed the need for building infrastructure along the borders for facilitating trades.

On signing extradition treaty, the envoy said, "Extradition treaty is there. But we are not saying this has to be done tomorrow. I think it requires more work."

He said Bangladesh should immediately send a delegation to New Delhi for talks on maritime delimitation as India must submit its claims on sea boundary to the UN by June this year.

Dhaka-Delhi anti-terror panel a possibility: Indian envoy :: Politics :: bdnews24.com ::

 

[BanglaBhoot]

INDO-BANGLA JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE

Eyebrow raised over joint task force

Special Correspondent

Bangladesh initiatives to form a regional task force and hold joint military exercise in India's troubled state of Assam raised alarm among the political circle and defence analysts.

Indian high commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty on Wednesday said Bangladesh and India might form a new platform to fight terrorism and insurgency across the two countries. "A new body could be formed that will deal exclusively with the issue of terrorism, insurgency, cross-border crime and so on," Chakravarty told reporters after his first call on new foreign minister Dipu Moni on Wednesday. They also talked about the possibility of the new regional panel or taskforce as was outlined by Awami League in its election manifesto.

Khandakar Delwar Hossain, secretary general of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party said the presence of foreign troops in Bangladesh territory on the plea of a South Asian regional task-force to combat terrorism raises questions over its sovereignty, and the people would not tolerate any threat to the country's independence and sovereignty.

Earlier, a Bangladesh army spokesman told the news agency AFP on January 15 that it was planning to hold its first joint military exercise with Indian troops, in the troubled Northeast Indian state of Assam next month. An armed forces spokesman said that the small-scale exercise involving 20 para-commandos from each country would be held at Jorhat in insurgency-hit Assam from February 22-March 7.

Bangladesh Army spoke about the joint move only after the BBC aired the news on January 14 quoting Indian defence ministry spokesman Group Captain Ramesh Kumar Das.

"With India keen on securing Bangladesh's firm co-operation in rooting out anti-Indian terror and insurgent outfits operating from its soil, the armies from the two countries will come together to hold their first-ever counter-terrorism exercise," Das said.

"This exercise was planned and conceived as a confidence-building measure between the two countries as both are threatened by terrorism." Das told the BBC.

The move for a joint military exercise comes just weeks after Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party won a landslide victory in Bangladesh's general elections.

However, the plans for the joint exercise were discussed during the visit of a Bangladesh military delegation to Calcutta's Fort William, headquarters of India's Eastern Army, in the last week of December 2007. Bangladesh's army chief Gen Moeen U Ahmed took the initiative to develop military-to-military ties with India when he visited Delhi and Calcutta early in 2007.

Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed, the then chief Advisor of the caretaker government, first mooted the idea in the last SAARC summit held in Colombo last year. He sought military cooperation among the SAARC states despite the fact that Bangladesh is already involved in bilateral military cooperation like academic training, exchange of institutional information and disaster response with SAARC member countries. Apart from UN peacekeeping, Bangladesh is also engaged in many military programme in the international level where either India or Pakistan is included.

Defense analysts believe that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, being fully aware of the relations with apparently tried to make her position clear by promising for a regional task force that should include not only India but also Pakistan, Sri Lanka and other SAARC member countries. She ventilated her views in a recent interview with the editor of Kolkata daily The Statesman in Dhaka. However, Indian authorities want it to be a bilateral cooperation between the two armies of Bangladesh and India.

In recent years the ties have often been strained by border skirmishes and New Delhi's accusations that Bangladesh-based Islamic groups were behind a number of blasts across India. There have been repeated border clashes between the countries in recent years.

There is nothing wrong with a military exercise if it is held under any international or regional umbrella and with a transparent objective, said the defence analysts/.

Public has the right to know about the purpose and objective of the joint military exercise in a troubled state of India, said Major General (rtd) Moinul Hossain Chowdhury adding that there should not be any hide and seek in matters of national interest. He said there was no problem with a south Asian task force if it was organised under SAARC umbrella.

Lt Gen (RTD) Mahbubur Rahman, a former Army Chief and presently a member of BNP's policy making standing committee told the Holiday that he had no knowledge about the objective of Bangladesh army to join the exercise with Indian troops in an insurgency-prone area of Assam.

However, he feared that Bangladesh by getting involved in Indian counter insurgency programme may invite trouble for herself which is not desirable. He also pointed out that Bangladesh should also move carefully by taking into consideration the concerns of her trusted friend China which borders with troubled states in the north-eastern India. China should not get any wrong signal that a military alliance is taking shape close to her soil and along the border of Mayanmar.

Major General (rtd) Fazlur Rahman, former Chief of Bangladesh paramilitary force, BDR, warned against any ill desire by a big neighbour having the ambition of expansionism. In a regional task force, Bangladesh may find itself dominated by the big brother of the region, he apprehended. Moreover, Bangladesh may become a target of attack by the insurgent groups of Northeast India, General Fazlur Rahman said adding that India may also want a reciprocal operation inside Bangladesh which might undermine our national sovereignty.

The move to form a regional task force may also give rise to terrorist activities inside Bangladesh as what is happening in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the former BDR chief said. He suggested to calculate the sovereignty issue while entering into such a strategic move. Defence experts say it is too early to move with such a military cooperation, specially in view of the sensitivity of the very issue.

HOLIDAY > FRONT PAGE

 

[BanglaBhoot]

Anti-terrorism task force in South Asia

Setting up of a South Asian task force for addressing terrorism and militancy is the much talked about issue for the eight member-countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). This issue could be discussed between Dhaka and Delhi during the Indian foreign minister's upcoming goodwill visit to the capital of Bangladesh. As the reports in the media, quoting the foreign office, said, Bangladesh wants to resolve issues pending with the friendly neighbours of the region as the nation believes in peace, prosperity and progress at regional and global level.

In view of enhancing bilateral relations, Foreign Minister of India Pranab Mukherjee will be undertaking a two-day goodwill visit to Dhaka from February 8, 2009. The foreign secretary of Bangladesh, Touhid Hossain, told the local press that the Indian high commissioner officially communicated to him about the goodwill visit of Mukherjee. Recently, Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty called on Touhid Hossain, the foreign secretary of Bangladesh at his office. While talking to the press Chakravarty said Dhaka and Delhi will discuss the much talked about issue of setting up of a South Asian task force for addressing terrorism and militancy during the Indian foreign minister's goodwill visit to the capital of Bangladesh.

Chakravarty reportedly told the newsmen that the regional anti-terror task force issue will come up for the discussion and he was sure that the prime minister here will raise the issue during the Indian minister's visit. According to the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry, the Indian foreign minister will come to Dhaka to convey the good wishes of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Commenting on the Awami League-led alliance's election pledge about formation of an anti-terror task force, the Indian High Commissioner was furthermore reported to have said that his country was also working to set up such a task force. The SAARC countries have separate conventions to face the menace of terrorism. "These two countries have different forums and we can discuss task force issue in those forums", he added. However, there should be detailed discussions before setting up of such a regional task force.

As the Indian minister would be in the Dhaka capital for two days, it will be befitting for Bangladesh to avail itself of the opportunity for holding substantive talks on trade and investment-related matters, sharing of the Ganges water and the periodic clashes between the border security forces of the two countries.

Anti-terrorism task force in South Asia

 

[blain2]

Lets see how this turns out. Definitely great chances of the rebels causing instability in BD itself by turning up the heat inside of BD. Something similar to what we see happening in Pakistan's NW.

 

[BanglaBhoot]

Lets see how this turns out. Definitely great chances of the rebels causing instability in BD itself by turning up the heat inside of BD. Something similar to what we see happening in Pakistan's NW.

I have very serious reservations about this policy. There is the risk of instability in BD caused by Indian insurgent attacks but more provocatively is having Indian forces on our soil. IF a Bangladeshi civilian is killed by an Indian bullet things will turn bad for the AL almost immediately. Already we have the BSF shooting at our nationals and to have Indian troops within our territory would become intolerable.

 

[Flintlock]

Its best to root-out "non-state actors" before they become uncontrollable.

You let these guys flourish on your soil because they mind their own business, eventually they will stop minding their own business and come after you. What will you do then?

 

[BanglaBhoot]

Its best to root-out "non-state actors" before they become uncontrollable.

You let these guys flourish on your soil because they mind their own business, eventually they will stop minding their own business and come after you. What will you do then?

They have never flourished on our soil and for the last 36 years have never posed a problem for our security. Introduce Indian troops into the mix and BD will become a target of these insurgents.

 

[Contrarian]

They have never flourished on our soil and for the last 36 years have never posed a problem for our security. Introduce Indian troops into the mix and BD will become a target of these insurgents.

Same ostrich like approach ala Pakistan. They have not posed a problem because BD has provided them a sanctuary. The day BD decides to root them out, they will fight tooth and nail.

 

[BanglaBhoot]

The Indians have never been able to provide proof of any of its allegations against BD. There is sufficient proof of Hindu-Maoist-Islamist terrorism in India itself. New Delhi really doesn't have to look afar to find where the problem is. South Asian terrorism is India centric. Once the problem of India is resolved then the region can live in peace and harmony.

 

[Contrarian]

The Indians have never been able to provide proof of any of its allegations against BD. There is sufficient proof of Hindu-Maoist-Islamist terrorism in India itself. New Delhi really doesn't have to look afar to find where the problem is. South Asian terrorism is India centric. Once the problem of India is resolved then the region can live in peace and harmony.

Bangldesh was sure living in Harmony as East Pakistan! It was just a nice little unified Muslim country wasnt it? Because India was not involved at all that time!

I wonder why you wanted to secede from Pakistan then!

 

[ahmeddsid]

If BD supports any Anti India Outfit, India has every Right to be concerned. The thing about Terrorism is that "it will bite the hand that feeds it"

 

[Vinod2070]

I think Bangladesh is learning from the mistakes of the past decades and wants to move forward. Good for them.

There may well be short term pain in this path but the end results will be good for Bangladesh. Let's see how far it goes.

I am sure this has the approval of most progressive Bangladeshis. the regressive elements have been soundly defeated and are waiting in the wings like vultures for one false step to pounce on the new government. They should be dealt with all firmness.

 

[TopCat]

Yes I want a anti terror forum where we could discuss issues, if that concerns everybody. But I don't want Bangladesh should be dragged into some foreign conflict which will have a long term consequences for Bangladesh. It was done for Pakistan, when PK got involved with Afganistan to work as a proxy for USA..
So far BD kept itself as an independent party..

 

[BanglaBhoot]

Yes I want a anti terror forum where we could discuss issues, if that concerns everybody. But I don't want Bangladesh should be dragged into some foreign conflict which will have a long term consequences for Bangladesh. It was done for Pakistan, when PK got involved with Afganistan to work as a proxy for USA..
So far BD kept itself as an independent party..

Yes India will embroil us in their religious-ideological-ethnic wars if we become part of this taskforce having extra-territorial and tactical operations capabilities.