Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury has said the media can play their roles in promoting activities that can help further deepen the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India.
She urged the journalists of both Bangladesh and India to play a constructive role in improving Dhaka-Delhi ties.
“The mass media of both countries can play an important role on how both countries can benefit more. Mass media has a role in promoting the relationship between the two countries”, said the Speaker.
She was speaking at the inaugural session of a seminar titled “Role of Bangladesh-India Relations: Challenges and Prospects” organised by the Jatiya Press Club to mark its 68th founding anniversary.
The Speaker urged the media of both countries to work together on how to strengthen the relationship between Bangladesh and India in South Asia.
Senior journalists from Bangladesh and India attended the seminar and expressed their gratitude to the people and the government of India for the vital role they had played during the War of Liberation in 1971.
Speaker Chaudhury said the two countries have addressed many challenges in the past years, including land and maritime boundaries demarcation.
The two countries signed a number of agreements and MoUs (Memorandum of Understanding) on social, economic, maritime and environmental cooperation, she said.
Mahfuz Anam, editor of The Daily Star, said Bangladesh has shown its commitment towards security issues and credited Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for addressing India's security concerns.
"I think this is an ongoing process and Bangladesh has shown its commitment," he said highly appreciating Sheikh Hasina's leadership on that front.
The Daily Star editor acknowledged the progress made in terms of relations between Bangladesh and India during Sheikh Hasina's tenure.
He, however, said overall water sharing issue remains a big issue, noting that Teesta water sharing treaty remains pending for long.
He also laid emphasis on fair sharing of water.
He talked about cooperation on the bilateral trade front and the opportunities it holds.
Mahfuz said the relations should be based on a win-win situation.
Apart from regime-based relations, he said people-based relations can be sustainable.
Indian Journalists’ Union President Geetartha Pathak said Bangladesh and India share common history and culture.
Though the two countries addressed many problems, some issues like water sharing still need to be addressed.
He said as a lower riparian country, Bangladesh has the right to have equal water sharing of the common rivers but that is not being ensured.
Bangladesh faces immense problems due to flooding that the upper riparian countries India, Nepal or Bhutan do not face, he said.
“I hope the journalists of India and Bangladesh can focus on these issues,” he said.
JPC president Farida Yasmin, its general secretary Elias Khan, Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) president Sohel Haider Chowdhury, among others, spoke.
