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Books on Bangladesh
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Update No: 003 - (27/03/06)
POLITICS
Fears of fresh attacks by Islamic terrorists have caused tremendous concern
for the nation; a concern that the Bangladeshi Government is trying to
adequately address. Following the interrogation of a top terrorist leader after
16 days of his arrest from northern Bangladesh, the government is not complacent
even after the capture of such terrorists. "We are not ruling out the
possibility of further attacks by the Islamic militants despite their top
leaders were arrested early this month," said state minister for home
affairs, Lutfozzaman Babar. His Ministry has asked the security forces to remain
alert on any further attacks by militants. He said that security had been beefed
up in the key installations before the Independence Day celebration on March
26th and the Bengali new year on April 14th and that operations would continue
until the militants are rooted out completely.
FOREIGN POLICY
President Iajuddin Ahmed has stressed the need for more exchanges between
the scientists of Bangladesh and Pakistan in mitigating water salinity and
arsenic contamination that hinder agriculture output. The President emphasized
the point while talking to visiting Pakistan Agriculture and Livestock Minister
Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan at Bangabhaban. He also stressed the need to utilize a
scientific and planned method in paddy cultivation to keep the country self
sufficient in agricultural productivity and output. Referring to the recent
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on agriculture, research and cooperation
between the two countries, Bosan hoped that cooperation as well as production in
agriculture sector between the two countries would increase due to the signing
of MoU. He also mentioned that Pakistan has already sent a delegation to
Bangladesh to extend its cooperation for the country's agriculture expansion.
Among others, Agriculture Minister MK Anwar, the Acting High Commissioner of
Pakistan to Bangladesh Auz M Khan were present. The entourage of the Pakistan
Minister and high officials of Foreign Ministry of Bangladesh also attended the
meeting. Bangladesh and Pakistan will also help each other with their expertise
to develop respective agriculture and livestock sectors. This was decided at a
meeting at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Centre (BARC), where Bangladesh
Agriculture Minister MK Anwar and Pakistan Agriculture and Livestock Minister
Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan were present. Agriculture contributes 50 per cent of
Bangladesh's total GDP, 60 per cent of employment and 5 per cent of its export
earnings. But Bangladesh is facing problems in this sector due to low irrigation
system, excessive withdrawal of the underground water, rapid increase of
salinity across the coastal belt area and unplanned use of cultivable land.
Begum Khaleda Zia visited India on a three-day visit on the invitation of Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh. As a consequence of the meeting between the two
leaders, Bangladesh and India have agreed to hold more frequent bilateral
meetings of the existing joint institutional bodies like the Joint Economic
Commission and the Joint Boundary Working Groups to ensure that they move
forward with the issues concerning both countries. "It was agreed that
meetings of the bilateral institutional mechanisms such as the Joint Economic
Commission, the Joint Boundary Working Groups, the Joint Rivers Commission and
the Home Secretary-level talks would be held more frequently to ensure movement
in a positive direction and their outcome monitored by the political leadership
on a continuous basis." The joint statement said that both Khaleda Zia and
Dr. Manmohan Singh agreed on the need to maintain high-level political dialogue
between the two countries. It was recalled that the Indian Prime Minister had
met the Bangladesh Prime Minister in Dhaka in November last year during the 13th
SAARC Summit. The current visit of the Bangladesh Prime Minister has provided
both countries the opportunity to continue and sustain their high-level
political dialogue. The visit is also testimony to the priority attached by both
countries to the promotion of their bilateral relations in all aspects. During
the visit, the Bangladesh Prime Minister held comprehensive discussions with the
Indian Premier on the entire gamut of bilateral relations. During her stay in
Indian capital, the Bangladesh Prime Minister called on Indian President Dr APJ
Abdul Kalam, Vice-President Shri Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and the Chairperson of
United Progressive Alliance, Smt Sonia Gandhi. The two main agreements signed
during her visit were: the Revised Trade Agreement and the Agreement for Mutual
Cooperation for Preventing Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and
Psychotropic Substances and Related Matters. While the revised trade agreement
is expected to provide a framework for expansion of bilateral trade, the other
agreement signals the joint determination of the two Governments to combat drug
trafficking. The Press release also said that both leaders agreed on the need to
maintain high-level political dialogue between the two countries. The two
leaders also expressed their satisfaction over the successful conclusion of the
13th SAARC Summit in Dhaka in November 2005. They agreed that the positive
outcome of the Summit would enable SAARC member countries to achieve specific
economic and social objectives. Both leaders emphasized that implementation of
SAFTA must be pursued with vigour to advance the SAARC economic agenda. The
Joint Statement documented that "The Bangladesh Prime Minister conveyed her
thanks for the warm hospitality during her visit to India. She extended an
invitation to the Indian Prime Minister to visit Bangladesh. The invitation was
accepted by the Indian Prime Minister with pleasure, dates would be worked out
through diplomatic channels."
ECONOMY
The Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has entered into a major
partnership with India with a view to generate more investment with India.
Expressing concern over the growing trade gap between Bangladesh and India, the
Prime Minister sought the dismantling of the non-tariff barriers in India to
facilitate Bangladeshi exports into the country. According to her, India should
try to create an improved land port on the Indian side of the Indo-Bangladesh
border for boosting trade between the two countries. Khaleda Zia also said that
her government is eager to support strategic business partnership between the
traders and investors of the two countries in key areas such as information and
communication technology. On the Indian side, the Union Minister for Commerce
and Industry, Mr Kamal Nath, said that a free trade agreement (FTA) between the
two countries would address the issues of trade deficit to a significant extent.
Citing the example of success of Indo-Sri Lankan FTA, the Minister said,
"Sri Lankan exports to India in 2001 was barely US$45 million. By 2004, its
exports to India had grown to US$200 million." He said trade between the
two countries had almost doubled in the last five years, growing to US$1.6
billion in 2004-2005 from less than US$900 million in 2000.
South Asia Enterprise Development Facility (SEDF) a multi-donor facility managed
by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the
World Bank Group, in collaboration with Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI),
hosted a seminar on the 'Role of Connectivity and Visas in Facilitating Trade
between Bangladesh and Northeast India' on March 19th, 2006, at Guwahati. The
seminar reviewed the status of trade under the current protocol and made
recommendations to improve the connectivity through inland water, land and air
routes along with the changes in procedures for visa issuance for Indian and
Bangladeshi traders. A multi-donor facility managed by the International Finance
Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, SEDF was
established in 2002 in Dhaka to focus on the need of small and medium
enterprises (SMEs) in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, North-east India and Sri Lanka.
The primary goal of SEDF was to reduce poverty through development of SMEs. SEDF
was one of the 11 regional SME facilities of IFC. It designed and undertook
interventions to identify and help overcome key obstacles faced by SMEs in
business development and operations with focus on core areas like access to
finance, sector development and business enabling environment (BEE). SEDF aimed
to promote an environment that aided growth of SMEs with focus on trade
facilitation, simplification of business regulatory procedures and capacity
building of business membership organizations as also gender, environmental and
social compliance. IFC felt these efforts would reduce poverty and improve
lives. From its founding in 1956 to 2005, IFC had committed more than US$49
billion of own funds and arranged US$24 billion in syndications for 3,319
companies in 140 developing countries. IFC's worldwide committed portfolio as of
FY2005 was US$19.3 billion for its own account and US$5.3 billion held for
participants in loan syndications.
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