India and Bangladesh it appears are all set to exchange the enclaves that feel like they are stuck in the wrong country. Interesting!
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(Reuters) - India has inched closer to settling a long-simmering border dispute with Bangladesh, possibly signaling a softer line from nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi than when he was in opposition.
On Monday, a parliamentary committee urged the government to table a constitutional amendment that would pave the way for a land swap deal that Bangladesh and India have been negotiating for years. That followed a speech by Modi at the weekend that suggested a solution was in the offing.
In addition to Bangladesh, India has intractable territorial disputes with Pakistan and China. Modi called off peace talks with Pakistan in August but last week appointed a special envoy to China, a move that will allow border negotiations to resume.
A deal with Bangladesh would end decades of uncertainty for tens of thousands of citizens living in enclaves on the "wrong" side of their homeland's border.
Dozens of enclaves exist on either side of the border, a historical oddity left after British India's partition in 1947.
The proposed solution would enable each side to acquire the enclaves within its borders, along with other disputed territories. On paper, the exchange appears to leave India with about 10,000 acres less territory and affects the more than 50,000 people living in the enclaves, as of a July 2011 headcount.
People living in the enclaves would have the right to move to live in their original country of nationality or to become nationals of their 'new' country after the exchange. Most are expected to stay put, according the Indian government.
Neither country would lose any territory they currently control, said Shashi Tharoor, head of the parliamentary committee and a minister in the last government.
India takes step toward resolving border dispute with Bangladesh Reuters
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(Reuters) - India has inched closer to settling a long-simmering border dispute with Bangladesh, possibly signaling a softer line from nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi than when he was in opposition.
On Monday, a parliamentary committee urged the government to table a constitutional amendment that would pave the way for a land swap deal that Bangladesh and India have been negotiating for years. That followed a speech by Modi at the weekend that suggested a solution was in the offing.
In addition to Bangladesh, India has intractable territorial disputes with Pakistan and China. Modi called off peace talks with Pakistan in August but last week appointed a special envoy to China, a move that will allow border negotiations to resume.
A deal with Bangladesh would end decades of uncertainty for tens of thousands of citizens living in enclaves on the "wrong" side of their homeland's border.
Dozens of enclaves exist on either side of the border, a historical oddity left after British India's partition in 1947.
The proposed solution would enable each side to acquire the enclaves within its borders, along with other disputed territories. On paper, the exchange appears to leave India with about 10,000 acres less territory and affects the more than 50,000 people living in the enclaves, as of a July 2011 headcount.
People living in the enclaves would have the right to move to live in their original country of nationality or to become nationals of their 'new' country after the exchange. Most are expected to stay put, according the Indian government.
Neither country would lose any territory they currently control, said Shashi Tharoor, head of the parliamentary committee and a minister in the last government.
India takes step toward resolving border dispute with Bangladesh Reuters
