Hasina’s India visit a total failure: Bangladesh opposition
By IANSTuesday, January 12, 2010
DHAKA - Bangladesh’s main opposition has termed as “total failure” the outcome of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s current India visit during which pacts were signed, saying “the country’s interest was not protected”.
Bangladesdh Nationalist Party (BNP) secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain asked party workers to prepare for a mass movement against the government for signing the pacts.
He said late Tuesday that Bangladesh had gained nothing from this trip when an extradition treaty and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on importing power from India were signed.
The treaties signed during the visit will not bring any welfare for the people of Bangladesh, he was quoted as saying in The Daily star.
“Bangladesh will become a market of the neighbouring country due to the newly signed treaties and memorandums of understanding.”
He criticised the government for “not doing anything” regarding sharing of the Teesta waters during the visit.
“In fact this government is doing everything to provide all benefits to the neighbouring country,” he alleged while addressing a rally of party workers.
“We should not sit idle. We have to protect our independence under the leadership of (BNP chairperson) Khaleda Zia,” he said exhorting the party workers.
“We don’t see any gain from the prime minister’s visit to India,” bdnews24 news portal quoted him as saying.
Referring to the extradition treaty, he said: “Indian insurgents were handed to them without such a treaty being in place.”
This was a reference to Dhaka facilitating last year’s arrest by Indian authorities of seven senior leaders of the banned Indian militant outfit, United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).
On the MoU on importing power, he said: “Importing power from India rather than producing it in the country will only benefit the neighbouring country.”
