Gas pipeline issue

. PHOTO: AFP

After the meeting with Bangladesh's Energy Adviser Mahmudur Rahman, Mr. Aiyar said that the initial agreement came at a meeting and "specific proposals have been drafted which will be vetted by the competent authorities from both sides, before a MoU on the pipeline is signed".

But his Bangladeshi counter-part was found not so much optimistic about signing a MoU very soon. Bangladesh urges India to provide facilities for taking electricity from Nepal and to remove barriers in our trade with Nepal and Bhutan using Indian territory. Bangladesh also wants India to lessen the trade gap between the two countries by taking some pragmatic measures that India can afford.

I think the issue of Bangladesh-India bilateral trade gap is of a different kind. If we have something valuable to sell, India will buy that. Bangladesh should not raise that question while talking on matters of a very different nature like providing gas pipeline facility.

But the main gas sale and purchase will be between India and Myanmar. So what is Bangladesh's benefit in providing the gas pipeline facility?