Teesta, LBA, illegal immigration on top of Sushma's Bangladesh agenda

Dhaka: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj arrived in Dhaka on Wednesday night on her first official visit abroad and will hold talks with top Bangladeshi leadership on key bilateral issues including Land Boundary Agreement, proposed Teesta river pact and illegal immigration to India. [caption id=“attachment_1589407” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj after her arrival in Dhaka. PTI[/caption] Though there are no pacts to be signed and no big outcome expectations, the trip, which is termed as a “goodwill” visit, is aimed at taking forward the bilateral ties which are on a “positive trajectory” for past few years. The Indian side maintains they were not going with the “shopping list” and that the minister will review the status of bilateral ties and what to expect in the coming years. However, the Indian delegation, which is expected to raise issues like illegal immigration and market access, is also prepared that Bangladesh will raise the “touchy” issues of LBA and proposed Teesta river pact. Significantly, it was BJP’s opposition, coupled with that of Trinamool Congress and Asom Gana Parishad which prevented the previous Congress from formalising the land boundary agreement and signing the Teesta water sharing deal with Bangladesh. According to official sources, Swaraj made a call to West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee to “touch-base” and tell her about the visit. The call assumes significance given that Banerjee’s party Trinamool Congress prevented the previous Congress-led government from signing the Teesta water sharing deal with Bangladesh. In 2011, Banerjee, then an ally of the Congress-led UPA, backed out from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Bangladesh visit, opposing the Teesta water sharing treaty between India and Bangladesh, following which it was shelved. During the visit, Swaraj will hold discussions on bilateral issues with her counterpart A H Mahmood Ali and also call on President of Bangladesh Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. She will also meet Bangladesh’s opposition leader and former prime minister Khaleda Zia. The LBA, which is yet to be approved by Parliament, is aimed at redrawing the international boundary between India and Bangladesh by exchanging areas of adverse possession and enclaves along with population on either side, thus making the highly incongruous and porous Indo-Bangla border more manageable. This is Swaraj’s first stand-alone foreign visit after becoming the minister. She had accompanied Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his first official visit to Bhutan earlier this month. Swaraj arrived in Dhaka for the two-day visit accompanied by Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh and other senior officials. Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Ali received Swaraj at the VIP lounge of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Indian High Commissioner Pankaj Saran and Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque were among others present at the airport. Meanwhile, ahead of the visit, the Spokesperson in the MEA said there was no proposal of visa-free travel for any Bangladesh national on the table. He was asked about the reports that said Home Ministry has shot down the MEA proposals on visa-free travel to certain category of travellers. MEA also said Swaraj’s visit, at the invitation of her Bangladeshi counterpart Ali, reflects the importance that India attaches to its bilateral relationship with Bangladesh, a close friend and neighbour. During the visit, Swaraj will also have engagement with think tanks, chambers of commerce and industry and cultural organisations. PTI