Foreign ministry is mum on the visit of two advisers of prime minister to India to review the progress on agreements and joint communiqué signed between Dhaka and New Delhi during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's India visit early January this year.
"We don't know anything about the visit as Prime Minister's Office (PMO) is coordinating the subject and officially we are not informed", said an officer of foreign ministry preferring anonymity.
But, unofficially we know that two advisers to prime minister will visit New Delhi and they may be leaving Dhaka Tuesday (today). Our director General of South Asia will also be included in the team, who will leave Dhaka for New Delhi Tuesday, he added. Sources to PMO said, under the leadership of adviser to PM Dr Moshiur Rahman, a team of official from different ministries would visit India shortly. They would meet Indian authorities including Indian finance minister on May 5 and 6.
Both the country will review the agreements and joint communiqué signed between the two neighbouring countries during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India in January this year. During the talks between Sheikh Hasina and Indian premier Manmohan Singh at Hyderabad House, three agreements for mutual legal assistance on criminal matters, transfer of sentenced persons and combating international terrorism, organised crime and illegal drug trafficking as well as two Memoranda of Understanding for cooperation in power sector and a cultural exchange programme during 2010-12 were signed.
The two sides also agreed to make operational the Sabroom-Ramgarh and Demagiri-Thegamukh Land Customs Stations and to open border-haats (markets) along the Indo-Bangla border in the northeastern Indian state of Meghalaya.
Official said that both the prime ministers expressed their satisfaction over the progress of agreements and joint communiqué when they met on the sidelines of the SAARC summit in Thimphu, Bhutan. They also hoped early implementation of their decisions.
"The decisions of upcoming meeting of advisors with India are not related with meeting of two prime ministers in Bhutan. It was set earlier", sources in PMO said.
Explaining the reason for coordination work on agreements and communiqué sidelining foreign ministry, the PMO sources said, the government took the issue seriously and the PMO decided to handle the matter by itself as lot of ministries were involved in the matter.
"This is also yielding good result. Ministries concerned are responding quickly and delivering their job properly as the PMO is involved in the affair", the sources added.
During the last four months, there were some progress on the issues related to Hasina-Manmohan talks.
Officials of both the countries met at meetings on electricity several times in Dhaka and New Delhi to find out how India can export electricity to Bangladesh. India agreed to supply to Bangladesh 250 MW electricity from its grid. In this context, both the prime ministers emphasised the need for expediting the inter-grid connectivity.
Meanwhile, the cabinet yesterday assigned two ministers and an adviser to the prime minister to review the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on power import from India which was signed in presence of Hasina and Manmohan.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Planning Minister AK Khandker and Prime Minister's Finance Affairs Adviser Mashiur Rahman were asked to submit the report in this regard soon.
Both the countries met on water issue last March in New Delhi. Bangladesh handed over a draft agreement on sharing of the Teesta river water during the ministerial meeting of Joint Rivers Commission in New Delhi. India also handed over a draft on principle of water sharing. On the other hand, joint working group of Bangladesh and India on trade will meet in Dhaka on May 6 and 7.
A joint team of both the countries assessed the improvement of infrastructure and the cost for one-time or longer term transportation of ODCs (Over Dimensional Cargo) from Ashuganj.
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the independent, Dhaka, 4th may 2010
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