Top three problems still remain between Bangladesh-India ties

Independent Online Desk

Teesta waters issue, Rohingya refugees and Assams citizen census remain the top three problems
between India and Bangladesh despite bilateral ties having improved enormously in recent years. As
she prepares for elections, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina is banking on India to resolve the pending
Teesta water-sharing accord and put pressure on Myanmar to take back Rohingya refugees while
ensuring their safety besides hoping that the national registration of citizens being conducted in
Assam does not have a spillover effect across the border, Times of India reports. In an interaction as
she hosted Indian journalists at her Dhaka residence, Hasina assured that India, as the next door
neighbour, need not be worried about Bangladeshs growing engagement with China. She said, India
should not worry. We want more investments and more cooperation that is our priority, but India is
our next door neighbour. India should also have good relations with Bangladesh and other
neighbouring countries so that we can all work together for the development of the entire region. I
believe we have only one enemy and that is poverty and together we can fight it better. On West
Bengal CM Mamata Banerjees role in the Teesta issue as well Delhis stand, Hasina said, Was
saddened a bit that didi did not give waters. When I asked for water, she gave power, so I said we
should be happy with whatever we get. She was referring to the last meeting she had with PM Modi
and Banerjee during her visit to Delhi in April, 2017. But Hasina sounded hopeful, saying, Mamata
did not say no, she said she will give. I am hopeful that it will happen. However, it is the Rohingya
issue on which Hasina wants Modi to support Dhaka. We want India to put more pressure on
Myanmar to take back the Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh and also ensure that they are safe
after their return. There are more than 10 lakh refugees who have found shelter here. It is a big risk
that we took on humanitarian grounds, but the rains are coming, many women are pregnant after
being raped by the Myanmar army We definitely want India to mount pressure on Myanmar, she
said, adding, In the meanwhile, I have asked our foreign ministry to speak to all the five countries,
including India, which share borders with Myanmar to take initiative jointly to ask Myanmar to take
back the refugees and keep them safe. Hasina said she had ensured that every refugee was
photographed and got an identity card soon after reaching Bangladesh so that Myanmar couldnt
later deny that they are its citizens. Speaking at a media conclave on India-Bangladesh ties,
Bangladesh political leaders raised the issue of Rohingya and NRC in Assam and pleaded with
India to act on it in keeping with the goodwill that the two countries shares at the moment, which
they described as one of the best phases. KK