Dhaka Bureau: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wanted good relations with the seven states of North-East India, including Assam, known as the ‘Seven Sisters’ of Bangladesh. According to him, the better relations Bangladesh has with these seven states, the more security risks will be reduced, as well as business relations will increase. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina believes that both parties will benefit from this.
Incidentally, the states known as ‘Seven Sisters’ in Northeast India are Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal. Meanwhile, a delegation of legislators led by Assam Legislative Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimari, who is visiting Dhaka, paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Ganabhaban on Sunday morning. At this time, the Prime Minister expressed this optimism. Later, another delegation of 10 members held a meeting with Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury and Commerce Minister Tipu Munsi. In the meeting, Bangladesh discussed increasing the import of tea from Assam, coal and limestone from Meghalaya. Besides, the legislators of Assam want to experience Bangladesh’s garment factories. With that experience they want to set up garment factories in their state. During the visit they will visit some factories of PRAN-RFL.
For four days last Saturday afternoon, 32 MLAs of North-East India’s Assam state visited Bangladesh through Akhaura-Agartala border. Among the 32 members, a four-member delegation led by Assam Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimari met the Prime Minister in the morning. The remaining three MLAs in the delegation are – AIUDF’s Bashir Ahmed Qasimi, Assam Constituent Assembly Ramendra Narayan and Congress MLA and Leader of Opposition in Assam Assembly Debbrata Saikia. Later Karim Uddin Barabhuiya, Kamalaksh de Purkayastha, Dipayan Chakraborty, Rekib Uddin and Teras Goala joined this delegation of MLAs. All of them are MLAs of Assam Legislative Assembly.
Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told Assam legislators visiting Dhaka that the import of fuel oil from India will start from 2023 through the pipeline. For this, a pipeline has been constructed under the 130 km long India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline (IBFPL) project, through which oil products will be exported from India to Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina also said that the border huts between Bangladesh and India will be reopened in different parts of the border line of the two countries, which were closed during the Corona period. The Prime Minister thanked the delegation for this visit and said that Bangladesh always wants to improve good relations with its neighbours. Referring to the exchange of enclaves with India, he said, the two neighboring countries have resolved many disputes through negotiations. Laying emphasis on regional cooperation, he said that neighboring Nepal, Bhutan and India’s northeastern states of Assam and Tripura can use Chittagong air and sea port and Syedpur airport for mutual benefit. Referring to the connectivity routes that were closed during the 1965 war, Sheikh Hasina said that the routes are being opened in phases. The Prime Minister recalled with gratitude the contribution of India’s northeastern states and West Bengal in providing shelter to the freedom fighters and refugees of Bangladesh in 1971. Rail communication with Assam will also be started through Karimganj.
Speaker of Assam Legislative Assembly Biswajit Daimari said that they had a very good experience in their visit to Bangladesh and the people of Assam will benefit from cooperation from neighboring countries. The delegation emphasized the need to strengthen trade and people-to-people contacts in the region. He said, Assam seeks cooperation from Bangladeshi experts in agriculture sector. Because Bangladesh has extensive experience in this sector. According to him, a peaceful environment is now prevailing in the north-eastern region of India due to Bangladesh extending its hand of cooperation. The delegation praised the unprecedented development of Bangladesh under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. At this time, the Chief Secretary of the Prime Minister. Ahmad Kaykaus was present.
MLA Karim Uddin Barabhooiya, who is visiting Dhaka, told the media that although it was a four-day visit, the main work of the visit was done on Sunday. On this day, we had a bilateral discussion with the Prime Minister, Speaker, Commerce Minister of Bangladesh. Discussions include connectivity, trade expansion and good relations. In the meeting with the Prime Minister, the topic of increasing good relations with trade, connectivity has come up again and again. In the meeting with the Commerce Minister, there was a detailed discussion about the import of tea from Assam and coal and limestone from Meghalaya, a material for making cement. In response to the question that these things have been imported by Bangladesh before, what has been discussed in this regard, he said that emphasis has been placed on ensuring that there is no complication in the matter of import. On the contrary, in response to the question of what Seven Sisters wanted from Bangladesh, he said that the delegation of legislators wanted to know details about the garment sector of Bangladesh. Because the government of Assam wants to set up a garment factory in the same way as the garment sector has progressed in Bangladesh. For this reason, Bangladesh has been asked to know its strategy. He said that Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya are in great demand for Pran-RFL products of Bangladesh. For this they will visit a factory of PRAN-RFL established in Narsingdi.
