Boundary pact to be expedited

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday returned home after wrapping up his two-day visit to Bangladesh during which the two countries signed 22 pacts to deepen cooperation besides ratifying the historic Land Boundary Agreement (LBA).

“Thank you Bangladesh. The visit will remain forever etched in my memory. Outcomes of the visit will lead to a stronger partnership,” the Prime Minister tweeted just before departing for New Delhi.

Referring to ratification of the LBA, Modi said, “Most importantly, we successfully overcame long pending issues of the past & this will enable us to create a better future for our ties.” India and Bangladesh said they have decided to expeditiously implement the agreement and cooperate in a wide array of areas such as civil nuclear energy, petroleum and power.

On the Teesta water sharing pact, Modi said: “I am of the view that birds, air and water — these three do not need to have visas at all.” He said it should not be made a political issue and should be dealt from a humanitarian perspective. In a public address organised by the Dhaka University, Modi said he was positive about finding a solution to the issue.

On Saturday, Modi had extensive talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina following which the pacts were signed which including an agreement on coastal shipping, an MoU on setting up of Indian Economic Zones and allowing Life Insurance Corporation to operate in the country.