Call for closer NE-Bangla ties

GUWAHATI, February 11: There are a lot of commonalities between India's Northeast and Bangladesh which can be harnessed for mutual benefit, especially in the economic sphere. Ranked almost parallelly in terms of development, the people of these two areas could benefit immensely if economic integration could be brought about. That was the crux of a discussion on "India's Northeast and Bangladesh Problems of Opportunities" that was held at the Vivekananda Kendra here this evening. Organised by The Centre for Northeast Studies and Policy Research (C-NES), New Delhi, in association with The Assam Tribune, a high-level delegation from Bangladesh, which participated in the discussion, appealed for closer interaction between the people of the Northeast and Bangladesh. "I am a firm believer in the need for Bangladesh and the Northeast, particularly, Assam, to rediscover each other," said Farook Sobhan, former foreign secretary of Bangladesh who was also his country's High Commissioner in India besides being the Ambassador to China and the United Nations (UN). Sobhan reminded that there was a time when Northeast and Bangladesh were intertwined. "But for reasons of history and politics we drifted apart and became strangers to each other." He said that at a time when globalisation is the 'mantra', it was time for neighbours to build close ties. The Northeast could be transformed by building a win-win relationship with Bangladesh, he felt. "We are bound together by our rivers," said Sobhan while stressing on the need to improve communication between the two regions. He reminded the audience that Guwahati and Dhaka were a mere 25 minutes apart by air. He said that while he was the High Commissioner in India he had advocated direct air links between the two cities. Hoping that "it would come soon", Sobhan called on the people of the Northeast to press the matter. Sobhan also said that he favoured the opening of Bangladesh Consulates in Guwahati and Shillong and an Indian Consulate in Shylhet (Bangladesh) so as to facilitate easier and improved travel by people especially businessmen. He said that the maximum number of foreign tourists arriving in India are from Bangladesh (up to 5 lakh a year), while there are a large number of people who also come for educational and medical purposes. "Bangladesh today is perhaps the second or the third biggest source of foreign exchange for India," said Sobhan. Unfortunately, most of it goes outside the Northeast, he rued. He felt that the region could easily get more Bangladeshi tourists provided transport and communication links were improved. Advocating the opening up of Chittagong port to the Northeast, Sobhan said that it could become the gateway for the region proving mutually beneficial. He foresaw enormous potential in the energy sector too. "Let not politics interfere with business," he pleaded. Dwelling on the issue of Bangladeshi immigration into Northeast, the former diplomat felt that the issue could be sorted out in a cool headed manner. He felt it was important to break the sense of isolation among the people of the two regions. "The central problem facing Assam and the Northeast is the degree of isolation," he said, adding that communication was the key that could transform the most underdeveloped area of South Asia into one of the richest. "Resources are there. What is needed is vision and ability. That is the central challenge," Sobhan said. Speaking on the occasion C-NES managing trustee and journalist Sanjoy Hazarika said that the idea of the discussion was to promote the concept of regional cooperation at the people's level. "We need to address the mindset," he stated, adding that too often the people of the region have thought with their hearts rather than with their minds. Speaking on a similar vein, Mahfuz Alam, editor and publisher of Dhaka's mass-circulated Daily Star, said that it was a "tragedy of our collective heritage" that the people have forgotten geography. "While others are building their future we are obstructing it. It is a story of lost opportunities," he felt. Alam stated that what bound the Northeast and Bangladesh together was their comparative backwardness. "We should break away from this mindset of isolation." The Daily Star editor said that the fault lay in the minds of the people and felt that journalists could help break the mindset. In this context he suggested an alliance between his daily and The Assam Tribune to exchange and reproduce news. Stating that economic development could not happen until the people of the two regions cooperate, the vice president of the SAARC Chamber of Commerce Abdul Mintoo said that there was an urgent need to speed up development initiatives. Calling for economic, social and cultural integration between the Northeast and Bangladesh, Mintoo said that the process should be started without delay. "We must share our resources turning comparative advantage into competitive advantage," he said. Speaking earlier NEDFi chairman Jayanta Madhab said that the Northeast could become the resource base for the development of the region as well as Bangladesh. Stating that communication links of the Northeast with the rest of the country was disrupted after partition, he said that the region was yet to overcome the problem. He also called for opening up of border trade between India and Bangladesh and the need to address the problem of immigration. Among those present on the occasion were Dhaka University Professor of International Relations, Chowdhury Abrar and Mohammad Rehmatulla of the Centre for Policy Dialogue, Dhaka besides a host of dignitaries of Guwahati.