In a sign of new solidity in the transforming India-Bangladesh ties, Dhaka has literally rolled out the red carpet for India’s President Pranab Mukherjee amid spiralling violence in that country and a strike called by a hardline Islamist party to protest conviction of its three top leaders for the 1971 war crimes.
In many ways, Mukherjee, who is known for personal equations with top leaders across the spectrum in Bangladesh, is a special guest for Dhaka, with the new dispensation taking extra care to ensure that the presidential visit from India goes without a hitch.
In a departure from protocol, Bangladesh President Zillur Rahman personally received Mukherjee at the VVIP lounge of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. The ceremonials were spectacular and the atmospherics warm, underlining the new bounce in the once-troubled relations. Four Bangladeshi air force jets escorted as the special Air India aircraft entered the Bangladesh airspace, followed by a booming 21-gun salute as the honoured guest disembarked from the aircraft. Besides the president, many Bangladeshi ministers, including Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, were present at the airport to welcome Mukherjee.
The three-day visit by Mukherjee, his first presidential visit abroad after assuming office, promises to be high on symbolism as well as substance. Ahead of the visit, India’s Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai had made it clear that the trip was not designed to engage in political negotiations, but had indicated that the talks will create the right momentum and atmosphere that will help resolve contentious issues like the stalled Teesta water-sharing pact and the land boundary agreement. Whatever be the outcome of the visit, in diplomacy symbolism is sometimes as important as substance. The fact that both sides did not allow the ongoing violence and mayhem to derail the trip underscores mutual commitment to deepen this crucial bilateral relationship that could set new benchmarks in good-neighbourliness.
In his interactions with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Mukherjee is expected to reinforce India’s unflinching commitment to fast-track the sealing of the stalled accords issues and to build a mutually empowering relations based on trust and understanding.
The relations between India and Bangladesh have shown a perceptible upswing in the last two years since Sheikh Hasina’s landmark visit to India over two years ago, which was followed by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Dhaka in May 2011. The real challenge will be to sustain this defining transformation in bilateral relations by speedy implementation of commitments made by both sides to take the relations forward. The presidential visit from India is expected to ensure that the relations are not held hostage by capricious politics on both sides and will continue to thrive regardless of who is in power in New Delhi and Dhaka.
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