30.10.12

Begum Khaleda Zia in India


BNP chief and Bangladesh’s main opposition leader Begum Khaleda Zia asked PM Manmohan Singh in a meeting in New Delhi to expedite the signing of Teesta water-sharing agreement, saying that the pact was imperative for better ties between the neighbours. Government sources said that Singh responded by saying that while the Indian government was committed to the agreement, it was still trying to build a political consensus for it.


With West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee expressing fresh concerns, the agreement has been stuck even though it was finalized last year. Singh, however, assured Zia that the accord was sealed after taking the consent of all Indian states involved and it was only a matter of time before it is brought into action.
Begum Khaleda Zia was very appreciative of various Indian initiatives which had been taken by the prime minister including liberalization of trade, efforts to provide power etc,.Both the leaders felt that terrorism is of great concern and agreed to continue cooperation on terrorism and insurgent groups. For India, any assurance from Zia about cooperation in dealing with terrorism and insurgency is important as too often in the past ISI has been known to fuel unrest in India’s north-east from Bangladeshi soil. In fact, there have been allegations in the past that ISI also provided funds to BNP.
Her last official visit to India was in 2006 as the then PM of Bangladesh.

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