Passage of land bill huge diplomatic success of govt: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Star file photo

Terming the adoption of the much-talked-about constitution amendment bill on Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) with Bangladesh by Indian Rajya Sabha as a huge diplomatic success of the present government, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today extended her heartiest thanks to all concerned involved in the process.

"The much-awaited LBA Bill was passed in (Indian) Rajya Sabha unanimously on Wednesday. I think it's our huge diplomatic success and I extend my sincere thanks to all who were involved in the process," she said.

The Prime Minister came up with the remarks while delivering her introductory speech at meeting of senior officials of the Home Ministry and other organizations under the ministry at Bangladesh Secretariat here this morning.

The Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament, on Wednesday unanimously passed the 119th constitution amendment bill on Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) with Bangladesh paving the way for permanent settlement of decades-old boundary disputes between the two neighbouring countries.

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj placed the bill aimed at ratifying the LBA between India and Bangladesh under the Indira-Mujib pact of 1974 to exchange areas and people on either side of the border.

Highlighting the background for the initiative of passage of the LBA Bill, Sheikh Hasina said no steps were taken about the issue till Bangladesh's independence since partition of Bengal.

She said it was Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who first took initiatives after independence for settlement of decades-old boundary disputes between the two neighbouring countries.

"Bangabandhu first took initiatives and did work for resolving the land boundary dispute with India," she said.

But after the brutal assassination of Bangabandhu, Sheikh Hasina said, this process was stalled and no subsequent governments took any measures to this end.

"The post-75 governments did not take any initiatives for resolving any pending issues with India whether it was Land Boundary Agreement or maritime boundary dispute," she said.

The Prime Minister said those governments only scolded the Awami League (AL) government accusing it (AL) of 'selling independence'. "But in fact they did not take any initiatives for protecting hard-earned independence and sovereignty of the nation," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the Awami League government after taking office in 1996 after long 21 years, took steps to resolve the pending problems with India and other neighbouring countries.

"But the process was stalled again when the BNP-Jamaat alliance government came to power in 2001," she said.

The Prime Minister noted that it was the Awami League government which resumed the process after coming back to power in 2009. "We resolved the two problems with India -- one is Land Boundary Agreement and other is maritime boundary dispute," she said.