Bangladeshi PM’s visit to India to bolster trade ties

New Delhi, March 20:

Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia arrived here today afternoon on a three-day long state visit that is likely to inject much-needed vigour into bilateral ties and address sensitive issues like terrorism, trade and the persisting trust deficit between the neighbours. Zia, accompanied by foreign minister Morshed Khan and finance minister M Saifur Rahman and a 40-stong business delegation, was received at the Indira Gandhi International Airport by minister of state for external affairs E Ahamed.

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnanth Chatterjee and Ahamed will call on Zia later in the day. During her talks with prime minister Manmohan Singh tomorrow, some outstanding irritants like terrorism and trade imbalance (a sore point with Dhaka) will figure prominently. But despite some upfront talk on these issues, the two leaders are expected to focus on confidence-building measures like an Indian proposal for a bus service between Kolkata and Agartala through Bangladesh and the signing of a mutual extradition treaty to improve the atmospherics for resolving all contentious issues. Other touchy issues like the demarcation of the over 4,000-km border, enclaves in “adverse possession,” and the presence of anti-India insurgents in Bang-ladesh will also be discussed between the two sides.

New Delhi is keen to repair relations with Dhaka that have soured in recent years and is pulling out all stops to welcome Zia on this goodwill visit. “I think the hope is that when Khaleda Zia finally leaves India, she would leave as a bigger or a better friend of India than when she came here,” national security adviser M K Narayanan said here ahead of her visit. Zia will be given a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan tomorrow morning. She will meet president A P J Abdul Kalam, the ruling UPA chair Sonia Gandhi, and commerce minister before talks with Manmohan Singh at Hyderabad House.