Sujatha Singh to visit Dhaka tomorrow

Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh is travelling to Dhaka tomorrow and will meet the top leadership in the backdrop of government here facing stiff opposition in Parliament to introduction of Indo-Bangla Land Boundary Agreement (LBA), an emotive issue for poll-bound Bangladesh.
The visit also comes amid political turmoil in that country with former president and Jaitya Party chief Hussain Muhammad Ershad ruling out contesting January 5 elections. This is Singh's first visit to Bangladesh after becoming Foreign Secretary in August.
Besides meeting her Bangladeshi counterpart Shahidul Haque, the Foreign Secretary will call on Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister Abdul Hasan Mahmood Ali, official sources said.

In addition, the Foreign Secretary will meet the Leader of Opposition and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and Ershad, they said.
According to sources, Singh will be reiterating government's commitment to bring in the winter session of Parliament the Constitution Amendment Bill 2013 on LBA, a move which is facing stiff opposition from BJP and AGP.
The LBA, an emotive domestic issue for Bangladesh, envisages transfer of 111 enclaves with a total area of 17,160.63 acres to that country while there will be transfer of 51 enclaves with an area of 7,110.02 acres to India.

While on the face of it, India does seem to be losing some territory, officials here maintained that the government has in fact only converted a de-facto reality into a de-jure situation as these enclaves are located deep inside the two countries with little physical access to these by both.

Singh's visit will be two days before UN Assistant Secretary Oscar Fernandez-Taranco begins his Bangladesh tour amid a standoff between the Awami League and the main Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) over the polls.
Meanwhile, Ershad today in Dhaka said his party will not go to polls and the candidates who had filed nomination papers have been asked to withdraw their candidature ahead of last date of withdrawal set by the Election Commission.