Page 15 - India-bangladesh

India a great friend since 1971, says Sheikh Hasina after election win

Sheikh Hasina's Awami League won 223 seats in the 300-member Parliament in the Bangladesh polls which concluded on Sunday amid a boycott call by the Opposition

Bangladesh polls: PM Hasina's AL inching closer to victory amid boycott

Bangladesh Prime Minister and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina was re-elected to parliament on Sunday from the Gopalganj-3 constituency after a landslide victory in the general elections marred by sporadic violence and a boycott by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Hasina, 76, bagged 249,965 votes while her nearest rival M Nizam Uddin Lashkar from the Bangladesh Supreme Party secured just 469 votes, bdnews24 reported. Gopalganj Deputy Commissioner and Returning Officer Kazi Mahbubul Alam announced the result. She has won the Gopalganj-3 seat for the eighth time since 1986. Prime Minister Hasina, who has been ruling the strategically located South Asian nation since 2009, is set to secure a record fourth consecutive term and fifth overall term. The ruling Awami League candidates are leading in most of the seats, according to the results so far. Earlier, the counting of votes started after the polling ended in the general elections which registered low voter .

Ahead of polls, Bangladesh Nationalist Party holds massive protest in Dhaka

Ahead of the general elections set to be held on January 7 in Bangladesh, the country's opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) staged a massive protest in Dhaka's Paltan area

B'desh to hold elections on Sunday; PM Hasina poised to win another term

Bangladesh will go to the polls on Sunday in which Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to win a fourth straight term in the absence of the main Opposition BNP which is boycotting the elections amidst violence and has called for a 48-hour nationwide strike against the "illegal government." A total of 119.6 million registered voters are eligible to vote at Sunday's polls in more than 42,000 polling stations, according to the country's Election Commission. More than 1,500 candidates from 27 political parties are contesting in the election besides 436 independent candidates. Over 100 foreign observers, including three from India, will monitor the 12th general election, which is being held under tight security. The election commission said it expected the results to start flowing from early on January 8. Prime Minister Hasina's ruling Awami League is expected to win for a straight fourth time as the main Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of former premier Khaleda Zia,

Anti-India activity won't be tolerated: B'desh minister ahead of elections

Ahead of Sunday's general elections in Bangladesh, the country's Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan asserted that Dhaka will never permit its territory to be used for any anti-India activity or terrorism, as long as the Awami League is in power. The senior minister in the Sheikh Hasina government also expressed confidence that Chinese investments in his country should not be a cause for concern, emphasising that nothing can be compared to the enduring Indo-Bangladesh relations, that are set to strengthen further in the coming days. In a telephonic interview with PTI from Dhaka, Khan stated that the Awami League government is for free and fair general elections on January 7, and claimed that the main opposition BNP has boycotted the polls "out of fear" of not securing a majority. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has boycotted the elections after the Awami League refused to cede power to a caretaker government to conduct the polls. "The BNP and Jamaat, during their tenure, had give

Bilateral trade between India, Bangladesh down during pre-election season

The India-Bangladesh bilateral trade, already strained by economic headwinds during the year, has dampened in some land ports due to the upcoming general elections in the neighbouring country, exporters said on Tuesday. Bangladesh is set to hold its 12th general election on January 7 and the pre-election atmosphere has cast a shadow on the cross-border trade. Indian exports to Bangladesh between April and October 2023 declined by 13.32 per cent, while imports saw a marginally smaller 2.3 per cent dip, according to data from the Department of Commerce. "Trade activity has been affected for some time now due to Bangladesh's forex shortages and liquidity crunch. The election-related slowdown is expected to be temporary, but stricter rules like the 110 per cent margin on letters of credit compared to the earlier 10 per cent have been a major concern for traders," a commodity exporter told PTI on condition of anonymity. Stakeholders point to the general slowdown in trade activity during

Bangladesh oppn party holds protest as it boycotts Jan 7 national election

Hundreds of opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party supporters protested on Sunday to mark International Human Rights Day, as the country gears up for a general election on January 7 that the opposition says should be held under a non-partisan, caretaker government. The party, led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, is boycotting the election, leaving voters in the South Asian nation of 166 million with little choice but to re-elect Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League for a fourth consecutive term. At Sunday's protest in front of the National Press Club in downtown Dhaka, opposition activists said they do not think a fair and free election can take place under Hasina's watch. The gathering took place weeks after a massive opposition rally on October 28 turned violent. The party's decision to boycott the polls comes amid a monthslong crackdown that has reportedly seen hundreds of opposition politicians jailed and critics silenced, an allegation authorities have ...

India, Bangladesh vow to strengthen ties in security, connectivity

India and Bangladesh on Friday vowed to bolster cooperation in key areas such as security, trade and regional connectivity. At the foreign secretary-level meeting here, the two sides also discussed the Teesta river dispute and other water-sharing treaties. The deliberations happened during the 'India-Bangladesh Foreign Office Consultations', with India being represented by Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra and the Bangladesh side by Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen. The Indian side appreciated its neighbouring nation's participation in the recently held virtual G20 summit and the Voice of Global South Summit 2.0, said a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs. Besides trade and security, both sides held comprehensive discussions on people to people ties and development cooperation in Bangladesh, the statement said. The two countries also exchanged views on sub regional, regional, and multilateral issues, it said. A statement issued by the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry sai

BSF installs beehives on India-Bangladesh fence to check border crimes

The Border Security Force (BSF) has undertaken a unique experiment of installing beehives on the India-Bangladesh border fence in West Bengal to stop instances of cutting the hedge for cattle smuggling and other crimes, besides generating livelihood for the locals. The first-of-its kind initiative was launched recently by the BSF's 32nd battalion in the border areas of Nadia district with an aim of ensuring border security and helping the local populace through apiculture, a senior officer said. India and Bangladesh share a 4,096-km frontier, with West Bengal accounting for about 2,217 km. The Ayush ministry has been roped in by the BSF for the project. The ministry has provided the border-guarding force with the beehives and required expertise to fix those on the alloy-made "smart fence". Sujeet Kumar, Commandant of the 32nd BSF battalion who conceptualised the idea, told PTI that the force has undertaken the initiative under the Centre's "Vibrant Village Programme" (VVP) and gone

PM Modi, Sheikh Hasina jointly inaugurate three development projects

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday jointly inaugurated three projects via virtual mode, including a key rail link between Tripura's Nischintapur and Gangasagar in the neighbouring country. The other two projects inaugurated by Modi and Hasina are the 65-km Khulna-Mongla Port Rail Line, and Unit 2 of the Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant in Bangladesh's Rampal. The 15-km Agartala-Akhaura Cross Border Rail Link is expected to boost cross-border trade and significantly reduce the travel time between Agartala and Kolkata via Dhaka. It is a matter of joy that we have connected once again to celebrate the success of the India-Bangladesh cooperation, Modi said in an interaction with Hasina over video-conferencing. In the past nine years, the work we have done together has not happened in decades, he said.

India to build 509 composite border outposts on frontiers with Pak, B'desh

Of the 509 composite BOPs, 383 are to be constructed along the India-Bangladesh border while the remaining 126 BPOs will be built along the India-Pakistan border

India, Bangladesh discuss preparations to start talks for free trade pact

India and Bangladesh have discussed preparations to start talks for a free trade agreement between the two countries to promote economic ties, an official statement said on Sunday. It was discussed during an official-level meeting of the Joint Working Group on Trade (JWG) between India and Bangladesh, which was held last week in Dhaka. The meeting "discussed a host of bilateral issues such as removal of port restrictions, ground work on commencement of Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), harmonization of standards, and mutual recognition of standards, supply of essential commodities to Bangladesh," the commerce ministry said. CEPA is a kind of free trade agreement, under which two trading partners significantly reduce or eliminate customs duties on the maximum number of goods traded between them. Besides, they also ease norms to promote trade in services and investments. They also deliberated upon issues related to development of road and rail infrastructure, regio

India, Bangladesh discuss bilateral cooperation, sign 3 MoUs ahead of G20

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sign agreements on cooperation in digital payments, renewal of the Cultural Exchange Programme, and agricultural research

India, Bangladesh discuss cross-border fishing, information sharing

The regional commander level meeting between Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and its Bangladesh counterpart BCG was held on Monday, an official said. The meeting, held through video conferencing, was organised under the provisions of memorandum of understanding (MoU) and standard operating procedure signed between the coast guards of the two neighbouring countries in 2015 and 2017, respectively, he said. Maritime issues such as sensitisation of fishermen on cross-border fishing, information sharing and capability building were discussed at the meeting, he added. The meeting was co-chaired by ICG's commander of northeast Inspector General Iqbal Singh Chauhan and BCG's commander of west zone Captain Mohammad Kibria Haq, the official said.

India, Bangladesh customs officials discuss opening of new customs stations

Customs officials of India and Bangladesh have discussed a host of bilateral issues such as opening of new land customs stations, easing port restrictions, development of road and rail infrastructure and pre-arrival exchange of customs data. The two-day 14th Joint Group of Customs (JGC) meeting between India and Bangladesh that ended on Tuesday was co-chaired by CBIC Member (Customs) Surjit Bhujabal and Bangladesh National Board of Revenue Member Md. Mahbubuzzaman. In a statement, the finance ministry said the 14th JGC meeting discussed a host of bilateral issues such as opening of new land customs stations, easing port restrictions, development of road and rail infrastructure, pre-arrival exchange of customs data and a bilateral agreement on customs cooperation. India thanked Bangladesh for completing trial runs and issuing notification for operationalising the agreement on use of Chattogram and Mongla Ports (ACMP) as was decided in the 13th JGC meeting and initiated discussions on

Bangladesh reports 11 more deaths due to dengue, total tally at 398

A total of 9,733 dengue patients, including 4,335 in Dhaka, are undergoing treatment at hospitals across the country. So far, 75,280 people have recovered from dengue

Tripura CM Saha assures repair of damaged India-Bangladesh border fence

Further, according to the statement, the CM, during his visit to the border area, interacted with the locals and heard their problems

First Rupee trade shipment from Bengal's Petrapole border to Bangladesh

The first Rupee trade shipment from West Bengal's Petrapole border to Bangladesh took place on Tuesday, an official said. Petrapole, located in North 24 Parganas, is the major land port for bilateral trade with the neighbouring country. The Indian government has been promoting Rupee trade with several countries to save forex, aiming at reducing dependence on the US Dollar and strengthening regional currency and trade. This will have a similar impact on the neighbouring country. "It was a shipment of vehicle chassis from Tata Motors, and the value of the shipment is Rs 1.23 crore," said Kamlesh Saini, the manager of the Land Ports Authority of India (ICP Petrapole), speaking to PTI. "This shipment is in Indian Rupees, and it will give further fillip to exports," he said. Banks in Bangladesh and India have been given permission to open nostro accounts. It is an account in a bank of another country for the purpose of foreign currency transactions. Earlier this month, at the Rupee t

Bangladesh to launch 3 major infrastructures with Indian aid in September

Bangladesh is set to launch three major infrastructure projects, including a power plant, under India's financial assistance in September, a senior official said on Tuesday after the Indian High Commissioner here called on the country's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Pranay Verma called on Prime Minister Hasina at her Ganobhaban official residence and discussed issues such as the Taka-Rupee exchange system between Bangladesh and India, connectivity, and ongoing projects under the Indian Line of Credits and grants. During the meeting, both the Bangladesh prime minister and the Indian envoy expressed satisfaction over the state of the bilateral relations, Bangladesh premier's press secretary Ihsanul Karim said. Sheikh Hasina wished India will raise voice, particularly for the Global South alongside the entire world, during the upcoming G20 Summit in New Delhi, Karim said. A spokesman at Bangladesh premier's office said Verma informed Hasina that two .

Lines on the map

Border stories, we know well enough, aren't always light-hearted like this encounter of mine. Borders can be bloody