Bangladesh’s popular News Paper the Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam said Bangladesh has showed its commitment towards security issues and credited Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for addressing India’s security concerns. I think this is an ongoing process and Bangladesh has shown its commitment, he said, highly appreciating Hasina’s leadership on that front.
Mahfuz Anam was speaking at a seminar titled “Role of Media in Bangladesh-India Relations: Challenges and Opportunities” held at Jatiya Press Club on Thursday. The seminar was organized by Jatiya Press Club to mark its 68th founding anniversary.
The Daily Star editor acknowledged the progress made in terms of relations between Bangladesh and India during PM Hasina’s tenure.
He, however, said the overall water sharing issue remains a big issue, noting that Teesta water sharing treaty remains pending for a long. He also laid emphasis on fair sharing of water. He talked about cooperation on the bilateral trade front and the opportunities it holds.
Mahfuz said the relations should be based on a win-win situation. Apart from regime-based relations, he said the people-based relations can be a sustainable one.
Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury has said the media can play their roles in promoting the activities that can help further deepen the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India. She urged the journalists of both Bangladesh and India to play a constructive role in improving Dhaka-Delhi ties.
Speaker Chaudhury said the two countries have addressed many challenges in the past years, including land and maritime boundaries demarcation. The two countries signed a number of agreements and MoUs on social, economic, maritime and environmental cooperation, she said.
Indian Journalists’ Union President Geetartha Pathak said Bangladesh and India share common history and culture. Though the two countries addressed many problems, some issues like water sharing still need to be addressed.
He said as a lower riparian country, Bangladesh has the right to have equal water sharing of the common rivers but that is not being ensured. Bangladesh faces immense problems due to flooding that the upper riparian countries India, Nepal or Bhutan do not face, he said. I hope the journalists of India and Bangladesh can focus on these issues, he said.
The Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam, JPC president Farida Yasmin, its general secretary Elias Khan, Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) president Sohel Haider Chowdhury, among others, spoke.
