Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's recent four-day visit in India grabbed immense attention of neighboring country’s media as it called the visit a "successful one" which "signaled strengthening of India-Bangladesh relationship".
Indian newspapers, news agencies, online portals published in Hindi, English and many regional languages across the country carried out hard stories alongside editorials, post editorials and op-eds of renowned journalists highlighting the outcome of the visit, reports BSS.
The visit was also highlighted in Indian electronic media like NDTV, Times Now TV, Republic TV and Sangsad TV as the media telecast programmes and arranged talk shows on the event.
The Indian media marked the visit as a "very crucial one" as the two leaders engaged in an official talk discussing issues relating to bilateral, multilateral and regional interest amid current global geo-political situation due to Ukraine conflict that posed a negative impact on global supply chain and fuel markets.
The Indian Express, an Indian vernacular daily, published an editorial on September 9 with the headline "Sheikh Hasina's visit signaled deepening of India-Bangladesh relationship. In times of regional turmoil, it needs careful nurturing".
"The deepening of ties between Bangladesh and India comes at a time of increased uncertainty in South Asia. Sri Lanka and Pakistan are reeling from economic and political crises, even as the region as a whole is dealing with the twin shocks of the pandemic and the supply chain problems caused by the conflict in Ukraine," the editorial said.
India's renowned Strategic Analyst K.P. Nayar wrote a post-editorial in The Tribune stating that Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India last week was a case of history repeating itself.
In order to put India-Bangladesh relations on firmer foundations for some potentially turbulent years ahead, New Delhi appears to have taken a leaf out of PV Narasimha Rao's diplomatic notebook 30 years ago, he said.
It is of a piece with what is arguably India's most reliable partnership in the neighbourhood, one that has been nurtured by both sides, especially in the last decade, he wrote.
Harsh V. Pant, Vice-President, Studies and Foreign Policy at Observer Research Foundation (ORF) wrote a piece in the opinion page of The Hindustan Times in its September 9 issue on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's India visit with the headline "Delhi-Dhaka ties have entered a new golden age".
"The visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina to India this week underscored the real bond between two neighbours as well as two peoples in a region that remains highly fragmented," Pant wrote.
The ease with which Hasina and PM Narendra Modi engaged with each other-lauding each other's contribution -is a tribute to the investment that the two leaders have made in this vital relationship, he added.
India's former ambassador to Bangladesh Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty wrote an article on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's India visit in which he wrote while bilateral ties will continue to grow, inimical forces will seek to undermine goodwill.
The article published in The Indian Express on September 9 with the headline "Mature leadership in India and Bangladesh has not let minor disagreements threaten shared interests" wrote both countries must cooperate more closely against this menace if the future has to be secured for economic growth and prosperity.
During the current visit, he wrote, seven agreements have been concluded in sectors like connectivity, environment, water management, science and technology, railway, law, information and broadcasting among others. Five new infrastructure projects have been announced.
"Significantly, there is an agreement on the water-sharing formula for the river Kushyara that flows into Bangladesh from Assam's Silchar district. India has requested the finalisation of the temporary water sharing accord on the Feni river, which meets Tripura's water requirements," the article said.
About Teesta issue, he wrote, the pending Teesta agreement has been caught in the quagmire of Centre-state relations in India. The Joint Rivers Commission has been mandated to examine the sharing of waters of 54 transboundary rivers and flood data sharing.
Indian veteran Journalist and Bangladesh Affairs expert Gautam Lahiri said with the visit of PM Sheikh Hasina to India, a guideline on how to carry forward the existing bilateral relationship between the two neighbours to a newer height amid current global and regional perspective has been created.
Talking to BSS, he said the journey of implementing Bangladesh's long-standing demand on distribution of water from 54 common rivers has begun with the signing of Kushiyara water sharing agreement.
However, India has agreed to provide tax-free transit to Bangladesh to export its goods to Nepal and Bhutan, he said, adding that the decision was taken so that Bangladesh can import electricity from Nepal and Bhutan.
"Considering all those things, we can say the PM Sheikh Hasina's India visit was a successful visit in which many outstanding issues between the two countries were resolved," Lahiri, the former President of Press Club of India (PCI), said.
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
