Bangladesh will honour posthumously 1,661 Indian soldiers for their sacrifice for the independence of the country during the 1971 Liberation War.
The soldiers, who died along with Bangladeshi freedom fighters while fighting the Pakistani forces, will be honoured by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during her three-day visit to India from April 7 on the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.H. Mahmud Ali said on Tuesday that 35 agreements and memoranda of understanding were expected to be signed between the two countries during the visit. “There are a lot of issues to be discussed,” he said here.
The deals and MoUs that are expected to be signed include border haat establishment, information and telecast, atomic energy cooperation, science and technology, ICT, satellite and aeronautical research, geological science, defence cooperation, LoC, energy and power cooperation etc.
The Minister said these pacts would further deepen ties between India and Bangladesh.
Defence pact
Asked about signing of any defence agreement with India, which has been opposed by the Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Mr. Ali said all agreements would be made public.
Former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia-led BNP and its alliance leaders have raised questions about such agreements, claiming that the government wanted to ‘sell off’ the nation’s sovereignty to India. Mr. Ali said, “Once these pacts are published, you will see there is no merit in the accusations made by our detractors.”
Asked about the possibility of a breakthrough on the long-pending Teesta water sharing treaty, Mr. Ali did not go into details. He said, “Relations between our countries have reached such a level that the particulars are not too important. We do not wish to discuss the specifics at this moment.”
Trade ties
Expansion of trade relations, investment, connectivity, Padma (Ganges) barrage construction, water sharing, border security, and defence cooperation would be the focus of the meeting, he said.
Prime Minister Hasina along with Ministers and officials will attend a business event on April 10 in New Delhi.
A Bangladeshi delegation will brief Indian industrialists on the business environment in the country.
