Bangladesh Land Minister meets Mamata, discusses border agreement

Bangladesh Land Minister Shamsur Rahman Sharif on Monday met West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and later hoped that the long-pending issue of exchange of enclaves under Indo-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) between India and his country would soon be resolved.

Rahman had a nearly an hour-long meeting with Mamata in which the enclave exchange issue figured. He said that he did not come here with a fixed agenda but still "I discussed various issues of common interest. The honourable CM also spoke on many of them." After the meeting, Rahman said "we discussed the issue. Problems are there. They must be resolved."

Replying to another question on the growing threat of terrorism and militancy in Bangladesh, Rahman said "the Bangladesh government is always against terrorism and militant activities. The Sheikh Hasina government has initiated various steps to curb it and the situation is now totally under control."

"India and Bangladesh are two neighbouring countries. Many people live along the border between the two countries. Some of them try to foment trouble. Our government is active against this. The government of India as well as the state government (West Bengal) is also very much cordial in resolving this problem," Rahman said.

Asked about the recent incidents of killing of bloggers in his country, Rahman said "steps are being taken against this. The killers must be arrested and punished." Rahman said that the Teesta water-sharing issue did not figure in the meeting. 

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