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KARACHI, Sept 12: Bangladesh does not spend much on military because its first priority is poverty alleviation through high economic growth, increased trade privileges and mobility of labour so that it can enhance the income generating capacity of its people.
This was stated by the Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh, Saqib Ali, while speaking on his country’s relations with its neighbours in the “New International Political Scenario” at the Area Study Centre for Europe, the University of Karachi, on Wednesday.
Mr Ali pointed out that his country did not have high military expenditures because by and large the people and the establishment were convinced that its main national security concerns were poverty and environmental pollution.
“Poverty has to be alleviated through high economic growth and aggressive poverty alleviation programmes,” he added.
The country, he said, also wanted increased trade privileges and mobility of labour to enhance the income generating capacity of people.
Therefore, Dhaka had maintained close relations with the Middle Eastern countries where more than two million Bangladeshi expatriates were working, he said, adding that it also sought mutually beneficial trade with other countries, including its close neighbours.
The deputy high commissioner pointed out that ever since its secession from Pakistan, Bangladesh had fiercely guarded its independence. It was very confident that it could handle any threat to its security, he said.
Stranded Pakistanis
Describing his country’s relation with Pakistan as very cordial, he called for an even playing field by its neighbours for bilateral and transit trade. He said cordial relations between the two countries were in the interest of both.
Referring to the issue of stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh, he said the latter with the help of the United Nations had tried to resolve it. The displaced persons had been offered citizenship and issued identity cards of Bangladesh, he said, making it clear that it never insisted that such a step was essential as it considered Pakistan a friend, and a brotherly country.
Trade with India
Mr Ali said the main objective of Bangladesh’s foreign policy, besides ensuring security and good neighbourly relations, was to increase connectivity, expand trade and ensure energy supplies.
He said Bangladesh’s trade with India was hampered by nontariff barriers despite the several joint committees and joint commissions constituted for improving trade standards. He termed the gap in bilateral trade with India ‘huge and tilted in favour of New Delhi’. He said that Dhaka’s main concern was that the Indian government was not facilitating trade between north eastern states of Assam, Mizoram and Nagaland. Recently Bangladesh was allowed to export cement to the north eastern states of India, which the diplomat see as a positive step forward.
Sharing river waters
Mr Ali said another important issue in Bangladeshrelations was that of sharing river waters. He said Bangladesh was the lower riparian of 54 rivers and stressed that India must not take unilateral decisions to construct dams. He also sought cooperation of India and Pakistan to resolve the issue.
Earlier, ASCE Director Dr Naveed Ahmad Tahir welcomed the guests and introduced the guest speaker to the audience.
