Bangladesh-India Teesta Water Treaty Paused

Following Indian government's signal on its unwilling to get the Teesta Water Sharing Treaty signed during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's 30-hour visit to Bangladesh, the policymakers in Bangladesh has also taken final decision in refraining from signing any treaty with India in connection to according it "transit" facilities. This was confirmed by a highly-placed source in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, members of the Indian Prime Minister's entourage said, Dr. Singh is unwilling to sign the treaty during the current Dhaka trip while he is prepared to sign all other treaties with Bangladesh, including the much talked-about transit treaty. Though Bangladesh and India have been publicizing the agreement as "Transit", experts say, in reality it is a corridor facilities accorded to India secretly, which will greatly compromise the sovereignty and integrity of Bangladesh.

"We should never give corridor facilities to India. If they want, they must sign the transit agreement on the broad-based theme of letting Bangladesh also equally use Indian land-air-water routes in connecting with all the regional nations," an expert said.

Dr. Asif Nazrul, professor of Dhaka University during a TV talk show said, "If India can raise Mamata Banerjee issue in pausing signing of the Teesta Water Sharing Agreement, we can also use the same excuse of severe opposition the Bangladeshi people in signing the transit treaty."

He said, "Teesta Water Sharing Treaty should clearly mention that Bangladesh will get exactly 50,000 cusecs of water through this treaty and we are unwilling to hear the so-called fractional accounting or 25 or 50 percent."

It may be mentioned here that, Bangladeshi foreign minister Dr. Dipu Moni told local media during early hours of September 6, 2011 that Teesta water-sharing treaty will be signed during the Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh's visit. Indian foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai earlier in the day said any agreement between New Delhi and Dhaka would have to be acceptable to the state government of Paschim Banga headed by chief minister Mamata Banerjee apart from Bangladesh. She did not accompany Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to Bangladesh as Central government in New Delhi has increased the proportion of water share for Bangladesh from 25,000 cusecs [cubic feet per second] to 50,000 cusecs.

Commenting on the uncertainty of the Teesta Treaty, diplomatic circle in Dhaka termed it as "another exposure of bankrupt diplomacy of Dhaka and terrible failure of the foreign minister Dr. Dipu Moni, who, instead of protecting the interest of Bangladesh, merely has been performing as a "high ranking servant" of Indian government. They said, whether Dr. Manmohan Singh signs the Teesta Treaty or not, Bangladesh will sign all other treaties meeting the demand of New Delhi. They even said the pausing of signing the Teesta Treaty is a pre-set game of New Delhi and the current Awami League government.

"It is impossible to see that signing of such important treaty is paused just at the last hour. This is a clear failure of the Bangladesh Awami League government and its diplomacy. India is taking full advantage of Bangladesh ruling party's sub-serviant attitude towards New Delhi."

According to the draft treaty of water sharing with Bangladesh [which has now been scrapped by India], waters of the Teesta were supposed to be shared between India and Bangladesh on the basis of the measurement of the flow of water at Gojoldoba Point, 25 kilometers from Siliguri in North Bengal. It is learnt that Mamata Banerjee has objected to the fact that there was a difference in the quantity of water sharing according to the draft and the final version of the Teesta Treaty.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi claimed that Assam would gain more in the proposed land swap agreement between India and Bangladesh, to be discussed and signed during the Prime Minister's scheduled visit to Bangladesh on 6^th and 7^th of this month. According to Gogoi, the agreement would not only be beneficial for Assam but Assam would gain more land than Bangladesh once the land swapping pact is signed between India and Bangladesh. Stating that there was no demarcation of the border along the disputed stretches, Gogoi suggested that the Indira-Mujib agreement of 1974 could be the base for settling the issue in an honorable and favorable manner for both sides.

Sensing Bangladesh's latest stand on not granting corridor facilities by signing the so-called transit protocol, Indian policymakers are making frantic bid in some how convincing the Bangladeshi Prime Minister in "having confidence" in Indian government and sign the remaining treaties and agreement, keeping the water sharing treaty aside. They are continuing efforts to convince her saying, the Teesta Treaty would be signed "in near future". Bangladeshi Prime Minister is expected to be approached by the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh also on this matter, when both sit for meeting in minutes.

A number of leading figures in the ruling party, who were set aside from holding any important position in the government are secretly trying to communicate message to Sheikh Hasina, stating, the latest fate of the Teesta Treaty was the result of bankrupt diplomacy of Dr. Dipu Moni, who failed to uphold Bangladesh's interest and behaved as a mere provincial minister of India. It is even rumored that Sheikh Hasina may sack Dr. Dipu Moni right after seeing off Dr. Manmohan Singh as a signal to New Delhi that, the daughter of the founding father of Bangladesh is not ready to compromise the interest of the country. This possible sacking of the Bangladeshi foreign minister will also leave a strong message for New Delhi that, it should in no case undermine the importance of Bangladeshi Prime Minister and India should not consider Bangladesh as mere "naïve" in regional and international politics and diplomacy.

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Bangladesh-India Teesta Water Treaty Paused

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