India, Bangladesh waiting to make history at midnight with exchange of enclaves

Residents of the enclaves can barely wait for Friday midnight, the moment that will see a 68-year-old dream for a dignified identity come true, ending decades of denial of access to the public services.

That’s when Bangladesh and India will officially make the landmark exchange of their little land islands, putting an end to one of the most complex and puzzling border disputes the world has seen.

The people have been effectively cut off from the country they were supposed to belong to.

As many as 111 Indian enclaves with an area of about 17,160 acres surrounded by Bangladesh border would become a territory of Bangladesh. Similarly, 51 enclaves covering some 7,110 acres encircled by Indian border will be on India’s map.

The land transfer will end the stateless life of over 50,000 people who belonged to one country but located in the other – an ignominy they have been suffering since the 1947 Partition of the subcontinent.

Dashiarchharha enclave in Kurhigram’s Fulbarhi Upazila is the largest of the 111 and preparations to greet the historic day are on in full swing.

Altaf Hossain, chief of the exchange committee’s Dashiarchharha unit, said special prayers were held at the mosques after Juma congregations on Friday. 

Bangladesh’s flag would be raised in the first minute of Aug 1 to officially mark the exchange.

Sixty-eight candles will be lit at each home, one for every year.

“Our forefathers waited their whole lives for this moment, we have waited most of ours.”

Hossain feels bringing the infrastructure, employment and education on a par with the rest of Bangladesh would be the key challenge after the exchange.

“We have taken initiative to set up one primary, two lower secondary schools and a Dakhil madrasa using our personal lands and resources.

“Most of the buildings have been made. We hope the government will approve them under special consideration.”

Maulana Mofazzal Hossain, a teacher of one of the lower secondary schools, said they were working to set up the school and hoped to start operations quickly.

Pointing out that he himself had to get his educational degree with a false address, Mofazzal Hossain said, “Our children are on the verge of being freed from this curse. They can now use their own address and enter the job market with their own identity.”

Anwarul Islam Akash, a resident of the enclave who had migrated to India around 2008 and returned several years ago, said, “I was a good student. So I thought, why not start again. Now I would be able to use the education.

“So I sat JSC examinations from Gangchharha High School and am now studying in the ninth grade.”