Land Boundary Agreement completes unfinished task of partition: Expert

India and Bangladesh have finally ratified the over 40-year-old Land Boundary Agreement. In Prime Minister Narendra Modi's terms, the inking of the LBA is "no less significant than the fall of the Berlin Wall".

While the Teesta river sharing deal could not be inked, PM Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina signed 22 agreements in various sectors.

In an exclusive interview with Kamna Arora of Zee Media, Dr Smruti S Pattanaik, an expert on South Asia, discusses PM Modi's visit to Bangladesh.

Smruti S Pattanaik is Research Fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi.

Kamna: PM Modi described the land deal as “an agreement to join hearts” and “no less significant than the fall of the Berlin Wall”. Your comment.

Dr Pattanaik: The LBA has three components (i) enclaves (ii) land under adverse possession (iii) demarcation of 6.5 km of the border. All these three issues would help in better management of border. A better managed border is a harbinger of peace and stability, as one has witnessed in the past that the land under adverse possession had led to bitter contest and resulted in the killing of 16 BSF soldiers in 2001. The exchange of enclaves is significant as these Indian enclaves are deep inside Bangladesh and vice versa. Since the partition of the subcontinent in 1947, this issue remained unresolved. As a result the people of these enclaves remained stateless without any rights that a citizenship of a country would confer. The governments could not provide them basic needs of life like water, power and sanitation.

Kamna: What is the significance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attack on Pakistan from Bangladesh soil?

Dr Pattanaik: I think he was comparing India's relations with its eastern and western borders. While India's eastern neighbour has contributed substantially to India's security by taking action against militant groups and insurgents, the western neighbour, Pakistan, has been sponsoring terrorism in India and is doing everything to destabilise. Therefore, his comments need to be seen in the context of Bangladesh's effort in fighting terrorism. It has taken significant action against the LeT that was operating from its soil and took action against the groups that were responsible for smuggling fake Indian currency. In this context, Hasina's government in February this year asked an official of the Pakistan High Commission to leave Dhaka for running illegal fake currency racket and having links with militants.

Kamna: How significant is the agreement that will grant Indian cargo vessels use of the China-backed Chittagong port and Mongla port in Bangladesh? Will it help India counter China's increasing presence in the Indian Ocean?

Dr Pattanaik: Chittagong project is not Chinese-backed. China helped in the modernisation of the Chittagong port which functions under the complete control of the Bangladesh government. Bangladesh's decision to provide access to Chittagong and Mongla port would help India access its Northeast and is also an outlet for these Bangladesh locked region to outside world, including India. The transit time is much shorter compared to the circuitous and the long land route that is used to reach the Northeast. Having access to these ports for trade will in no way help India counter the Chinese presence in the India Ocean. These ports are significant to India for economic reasons.

Kamna: Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit help write a new chapter in India-Bangladesh growth story?

Dr Pattanaik: Yes, I think this visit is very significant in terms of establishing strong ties with our neighbours. It provides a fillip to `neighbour first` policy of the government. Bangladesh is an important neighbour of India and therefore high-level visits clearly provide a new direction in foreign policy in terms of emphasis that India is putting. The exchange of instrument of ratification of the long-pending Land Boundary Agreement after it was ratified by the Indian Parliament unanimously, surely completed the unfinished task of partition. There are 22 agreements that the two countries have signed which would help them charter a new path. Apart from these plethora of agreements concerning trade, power, investment, border management, cultural relations, people-to-people contact, India's announcement of USD 2 billion additional credit line will help infrastructure, IT, education and health segments in Bangladesh.

Kamna: PM Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina, along with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, inaugurated two bus services between the two countries. How significant is the move?

Dr Pattanaik: The inauguration of two new buses on two new routes would help in establishing people-to-people contact. The Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala bus will provide link not just between Dhaka and other two Indian cities but would help the people from Kolkata to reach Agartala through a shorter route in less time. Similarly, Dhaka-Shillong-Guwahati will link Bangladesh with Meghalaya and Assam, the two states which share borders with Bangladesh. It is a significant move to connect people.

Kamna: After LBA, a resolution to Teesta water issue is also in sight. Your say.

Dr Pattanaik: An agreement on Teesta is under negotiation between West Bengal-Sikkim and the Central government. The hope for early conclusion of an agreement is in sight. I am sure when Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised that India is working for an early conclusion of the Teesta agreement, it certainly provides a hope. Delay in the agreement over Teesta remains a major sore point in bilateral relations which otherwise have touched a new height.