The Hindu : Dhaka must understand our concerns: Sinha

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 09, 2003

Front Page

Front Page

Dhaka must understand our concerns: Sinha

By Haroon Habib

DHAKA FEB. 8. While New Delhi has no intention of "pushing" its citizens into Bangladesh, it expects Dhaka to have the "deepest understanding" of India's security concerns, the External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, has said.

"India will not push its citizens into Bangladesh, but will neither allow illegal immigrants to enter its territory. We want the friendliest of relationship with Bangladesh and the present border situation to end as soon as possible," Mr. Sinha said in an interview with Mahfuz Anam, editor-publisher of a Bangladesh daily, on Thursday, in New Delhi.

"I telephoned the Foreign Minister, Morshed Khan, yesterday, and sent an official letter today renewing my invitation to him. We hope it is an early visit, in which we can discuss the whole gamut of our bilateral issues. We also hope to discuss regional issues and global concerns of mutual interest," he added.

Mr. Sinha's interview was published today by The Daily Star and the Bangla daily, Prothom Alo.

"We do not expect Bangladesh to compromise on its security concerns. But neither should Bangladesh expect us to compromise on ours," he was quoted as saying.

"We are happy that the present crisis has ended, but we must find a long-term solution for the benefit of the people of Bangladesh and India. The people of India have a soft corner for Bangladesh and its people. We don't want any quarrel with them and will not allow the present situation to go out of hand," Mr. Sinha said.

Asked about the sudden tensions in India-Bangladesh relations, he said it was due to Dhaka's "insensitivity" to India's security concerns.

"When we give lists of terrorists, names of insurgents hiding there and related information, we expect that Bangladesh would at least seriously investigate them before dismissing them as false. We do not claim to be correct all the time... but we cannot accept that we are wrong all the time either as our neighbour's responses indicates. If Bangladesh showed a little more sensitivity to the insurgency in the northeast, our relationship would undergo a dramatic change."

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

Stories in this Section

Pak. diplomat, 4 staffers asked to leave in 48 hours

Five declared persona non grata

Pak. not interested in good ties, says PM

BDR tries to push in people again

Dhaka must understand our concerns: Sinha

An 'Olympic' start to the World Cup

Blix back in Baghdad

Buses torched

Protest rally

Tigress, cubs electrocuted