Page 4 - India-bangladesh Ties

B'desh vows to pursue Hasina's return from India, may seek global support

Bangladesh's interim government on Tuesday said it will continue its efforts to bring deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina back from India and will seek international intervention if necessary. Law Adviser Asif Nazrul told reporters at the Secretariat here that if New Delhi refuses to return Hasina, it would constitute a violation of the extradition treaty between Bangladesh and India, the Daily Star newspaper reported. Hasina, 77, has been living in India since August 5 last year when she fled Bangladesh following a massive student-led protest that toppled her Awami League's (AL) 16-year regime. Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrants for Hasina and several former Cabinet ministers, advisers, and military and civil officials for crimes against humanity and genocide. Last year, Dhaka sent a diplomatic note to New Delhi seeking the extradition of Hasina. "We have written a letter for extradition. If India does not extradite Sheikh Hasina, it will

Farmers clash on India-Bangladesh border; situation under control, says BSF

Tension erupted on the India-Bangladesh border near a BSF border outpost on Saturday morning after an altercation between farmers from both countries escalated into a brief clash, the paramilitary force said. However, prompt intervention by the Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) ensured that the situation was swiftly brought under control, a BSF statement said. The incident took place at the same Sukdevpur border outpost area, where fencing work was briefly paused on January 6 after the BGB claimed it was being conducted on Bangladeshi territory. However, the issue was then resolved through discussions, and construction resumed without further disruptions the next day. According to a BSF statement on Saturday, the brief clash occurred around 11:45 am near Sukdevpur Border outpost area, when Indian farmers working near the international border accused Bangladeshi farmers of stealing crops. The verbal argument quickly spiraled, with farmers from both sides

Bangladesh moves to drop secularism from Constitution: What we know so far

The existing principles-nationalism, socialism, democracy, and secularism-were established in the 1972 constitution, drafted after Bangladesh's independence during the 1971 India-Pakistan War

Will take up Bangladesh embankment issue with Centre: Tripura CM Saha

Chief Minister Manik Saha on Wednesday assured the Tripura Assembly he will take up with the Centre the issue of Bangladesh government's move to build a massive embankment opposite Kailashahar subdivision in the state's Unakoti district. The assurance came after Congress legislator Birajit Sinha drew Saha's attention on the matter. "The Bangladesh government has been constructing a massive embankment opposite Kailashahar. We have a 40-year-old embankment at Rangaoti. If our embankment is not strengthened on an urgent basis, people will suffer in case of floods," Singh said. State's fisheries minister Sudhangshu Das, who hails from Unakoti district, said the matter is international and a few patches of the India-Bangladesh border in Tripura are still unfenced leading to cattle smuggling in bordering areas. "This is an international matter. I have already sent reports to Delhi suggesting strengthening of embankments. I will refer the matter to the Centre again", Saha assured.

India, Bangladesh forces hold talks to ease tensions over border fencing

Amidst recent objections by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) over the Border Security Force's (BSF) attempts to erect fences in certain areas along the India-Bangladesh border, a sector commander-level border coordination meeting of the two forces was held at Benapole in Bangladesh on Wednesday to address key bilateral concerns and bolster cooperation between the two nations. The meeting saw deliberations on sensitive issues including the contentious implementation of the Single Row Fence (SRF), cross-border crime and development projects in border areas, officials said. The Indian delegation was led by BSF Kolkata Sector Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Tarni Kumar, while the BGB team was headed by Colonel Mehedi Hasan Chowdhury, Sector Commander of BGB Khulna. Senior officers, including battalion commanders and staff officers from both forces, were present. According to officials, the discussion touched upon measures to curb human trafficking, cattle smuggling, and illegal migratio

Pakistan, Bangladesh armies meet, say outsiders can't harm 'brotherly' ties

In a rare high-level meeting in Rawalpindi, Pakistan and Bangladesh's militaries stressed that their 'enduring partnership' must 'remain resilient against external influences'

India-Bangladesh border talks to begin Feb 16; infiltration top agenda

The twice postponed Director General (DG) level border talks between India and Bangladesh are now expected to be held here from February 16 with the issue of fencing and rise in infiltration attempts post the regime change in that country being a major subject of discussion, official sources said Wednesday. A delegation of the Border Guard Bangladesh is scheduled to hold discussions with their counterparts Border Security Force (BSF) between February 16 and 19 as part of the 55th edition of these bi-annual talks. This will be the first top-level discussion between the two forces post the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5, 2024. The engagements of the two sides are being worked upon, official sources told PTI. The dates for these talks were twice postponed last year, they said. The issues related to objections raised by Bangladesh over the construction of "agreed upon" single-row fence at about 92 identified patches covering about 95.8 km of the overall 4,096 km ...

Govt likely to incentivise textiles in Budget as crisis hits B'desh exports

India's textile sector employs an estimated 45 million people and the government is considering increasing the textile ministry's budget allocation for 2025/26 by 10 per cent-15 per cent

India summons Bangladesh envoy amid border fencing row with Dhaka

Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry voiced concern over India's BSF allegedly building unauthorised fencing along the 4,156-km border

Hasina's extradition unrelated to extension of her Indian visa: B'desh govt

Bangladesh's interim government led by Muhammad Yunus on Thursday said deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's reported extension of visa was unrelated to Dhaka's request for her extradition to stand trial. We have requested India to return Sheikh Hasina as a Bangladeshi citizen. Her status in India has no relevance to this request. It is not a matter of our consideration, a foreign office spokesman told journalists in a weekly media briefing. Hasina, 77, has been living in India since August 5 last year when she fled Bangladesh following a massive student-led protest that toppled her Awami League's (AL) 16-year regime. Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrants for Hasina and several former Cabinet ministers, advisers, and military and civil officials for crimes against humanity and genocide. The interim government on Tuesday said it has revoked the passports of Hasina and 96 others over their alleged involvement in enforced disappearances and the J

For extradition, offender gets protections: Ex-official on Hasina's arrest

ICT issued an arrest warrant against Hasina and 10 others, including her former Defence Adviser Major General (retired) Tarique Ahmed Siddique and former IGP Benazir Ahmed

Bangladesh releases 95 Indian fishermen in reciprocal repatriation

Bangladesh on Sunday handed over to India 95 Indian fishermen while New Delhi released 90 Bangladeshi fishermen. The process of reciprocal repatriation of fishermen in each other's custody came amid frosty ties between the two countries. The decision to release the fishermen was announced by New Delhi and Dhaka on Thursday. The exchange of the fishermen was coordinated by the Indian Coast Guard and the Bangladesh Coast Guard. The Bangladeshi side handed over 95 fishermen and four fishing vessels to the Indian Coast Guard, according to an official statement. The Indian Coast Guard released 90 Bangladeshi fishermen including 12 rescued from sunken fishing boat "Kaushik", it said. "Idian fishermen are being handed over to West Bengal State fisheries authorities at South 24 Parganas post repatriation from Bangladesh," the Indian Coast Guard said in the readout. In recent months, several Indian fishermen have been arrested by Bangladesh authorities when they happened to inadvertently

Bangladesh cancels scheduled judges' training in India amid strained ties

Bangladesh's interim government on Sunday cancelled a planned training programme for 50 judges and judicial officers in India, scrapping a previous notification. The notification has been cancelled, a law ministry spokesman said without elaborating. The Daily Star newspaper, however, reported the cancellation came in compliance with a directive from Bangladesh's Supreme Court. The cancellation order came a day after the state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reported that 50 lower judiciary judges would undergo a one-day training programme from February 10 at the National Judicial Academy and the State Judicial Academy in Madhya Pradesh. The trainee judges selected under the programme were district and sessions judge or its equivalent officers, additional district and sessions judge, joint district judge, senior assistant judge and assistant judge. The Indian government was supposed to bear all the expenses for the training programmes. India and Bangladesh have witnessed strained

50 Bangladeshi judicial officers to undergo 10-day training in India

The diplomatic row between Dhaka and New Delhi notwithstanding, as many as 50 Bangladeshi judicial officers will undergo 10 day training at state-run academies in India, according to a media report on Saturday. The Law Ministry has given permission to 50 judicial officials of subordinate courts to undergo training at the National Judicial Academy and State Judicial Academy at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh with no cost to Bangladesh. The Law Ministry has given permission in the wake of the Supreme Court's advice, Prothom Alo newspaper said here. These judicial officers will participate in the training from February 10 to February 20. Assistant Judges, Senior Assistant Judges, Joint District and Sessions Judges, Additional District and Sessions Judges, District and Sessions Judges and officers of equivalent rank have been nominated for the training. A circular signed by Abul Hasanat, Deputy Secretary (Training) of the Law and Justice Division of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamen

Pakistan FM to visit Bangladesh; Muhammad Yunus to reciprocate visit

Pakistan's Ishaq Dar will visit Bangladesh next month, the first such trip by a Pakistani foreign minister since 2012, signalling warming ties between Dhaka and Islamabad after Sheikh Hasina's ouster

India, Bangladesh announce reciprocal repatriation of fishermen in custody

India and Bangladesh on Thursday announced that they will kick-start a process of reciprocal repatriation of fishermen in each other's custody, a move that came amid strain in their bilateral ties. Shortly after Bangladesh said it will hand over 95 Indian fishermen to Indian authorities on January 5, India said it will release 90 Bangladeshi fishermen on the same day. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said mutual exchange of fishermen and their vessels has been worked out keeping in mind the primarily humanitarian and livelihood concerns of the fishing communities on both sides. "In recent months, several Indian fishermen have been arrested by Bangladesh authorities when they happened to inadvertently cross the International Maritime Boundary Line and entered Bangladesh waters," it said. The MEA said several Bangladesh fishermen have also been apprehended by Indian authorities in similar circumstances. "Earlier today, 95 Indian fishermen were handed over by Bangladesh authori

'Won't hurt India's interests, but...': Bangladesh Army chief on Northeast

Bangladesh Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman characterises India-Bangladesh relations as a 'give-and-take relationship' while describing China as 'a partner in our development'

Influx from B'desh not by Hindus but 'majority community' members: Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said that the influx from Bangladesh into the state in recent months is mostly by the "majority community" of the neighbouring country and not by the minority Hindus there. Those who are entering India illegally are workers of the textile industry in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, which are in bad shape following the crisis there, and they want to go to Tamil Nadu to join the same sector, he claimed. The southern state is ruled by the DMK, a constituent of the INDIA bloc. "The situation in Bangladesh has led to the collapse of the textile industry in that country. The workers, who are majority there but a minority in our country, are trying to cross the border," the chief minister said during an interaction with journalists here. They are trying to enter the country to go to the textile industries in Tamil Nadu, and "owners of these industries are incentivising them to come to get cheap labour," he said. The Hindu minorities in th

Yunus pays tribute to Manmohan Singh at Indian High Commission in B'desh

Professor Yunus visited the Indian High Commission in Dhaka and placed a floral wreath at the portrait of late PM Manmohan Singh

Bangladesh 2024: Hasina's India refuge casts shadow over Dhaka-Delhi ties

Bangladesh faced an upheaval this year with the ouster of long-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a development that also cast a shadow over its traditionally strong ties with India. The relations could be strained further: Bangladesh now seeks her extradition from India. The removal of 77-year-old Hasina followed weeks of protests led by students over a controversial quota system in government jobs that escalated into a nationwide campaign calling for the end of her 16-year regime. In August, tens of thousands rallied against what they perceived as political repression. The military opted not to use lethal force against the protestors while Hasina hurriedly left Bangladesh for India just months after she had secured her fourth straight term as prime minister. The anti-government protests resulted in the deaths of more than 1,500 people, including students, in confrontations between protestors and security forces, according to officials. The 84-year-old Nobel laureate Muhammad Yun