A country,at last

India and Bangladesh have finally resolved the six-decade-old humanitarian and political ordeal of the 162 enclaves they have had in each other’s territories. “Stateless” through decades and generations,the inhabitants of these enclaves have to cross the international border daily to cultivate their land or visit a hospital — all the while being denied state benefits,such as healthcare and education,in the country where they actually live. Having clamoured and begged for either nation’s citizenship for long,and of late agreeing to be absorbed as citizens wherever they are,these people are also being given the option to migrate should they so choose. This is an enormous humanitarian achievement for Dr Manmohan Singh’s visit to Bangladesh — the first by an Indian prime minster in 12 years.

Sorting out the border between India and Bangladesh,particularly making the West Bengal-Bangladesh border contiguous,brings practical benefits to both nations and irons out irritants which had persisted in bilateral dealings since 1974 when Indira Gandhi and Mujibur Rahman had originally agreed to settle the enclave problem. As Dr Singh emphasised in his Dhaka University speech,the “destinies of the nations of South Asia are interlinked” and the future should bring “common prosperity and fulfilment”. But for that,the “sovereign reality” of our borders must be turned into “frontiers of hope and opportunity”,and effective border management remains the biggest bilateral challenge. So,“a defined and peaceful boundary”,as the enclaves agreement seeks to demarcate,is the steeping stone to the essential stability for cross-border cooperation.

This should,therefore,be viewed as a necessary and significant step forward in the economic and geopolitical integration of the eastern subcontinent,and not a case of “gifting away” territory. It’s about being humane neighbours — and the consolidation of a promising friendship. Of course,the inability to deliver on water-sharing and Dhaka’s consequent denial of transit rights to the Northeast did cloud Dr Singh’s trip. But an important and persistent point of discord has been eliminated. In the near future,Delhi and Dhaka must resolve the remaining two big-ticket issues.