Pranab Mukherjee calls for recapturing spirit of 1971 Liberation War

President Pranab Mukherjee has said that that India and Bangladesh need to recapture the spirit of the Liberation War of 1971 to build a new future.

“India and Bangladesh are not just neighbours. We are two nations bound by the threads of history, religion, culture, language and kinship. We have always believed that strong, stable and prosperous neighbours are in our interest.

“With Bangladesh, we now need to recapture the spirit of the Liberation War of 1971 to build a new future,” Mukherjee said while delivering the Cavalry Memorial Lecture organised by the Cavalry Officers’ Association in New Delhi on Wednesday evening.

He said that relations between India and Bangladesh were a good example of progress in looking to a shared future.

“India-Bangladesh relations today are the best ever since 1974. They are based on mutual benefit, equality and respect for sovereignty,” the president said.

Mukherjee said connectivity was the catalyst for deeper engagement.

“We have launched three bus services that will connect our citizens more easily. Connectivity by road, rail, rivers, sea, transmission lines, petroleum pipelines and digital links must increase.

“These are significant steps forward which have been enabled by the close cooperation and frequent interaction of senior leaders of the two countries,” the president said.

Regional connectivity and cooperation between Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal have also deepened.

Mutually beneficial arrangements allowing movement of goods from Bangladesh through India to Nepal and Bhutan and from mainland India through Bangladesh to India’s northeast have been worked out.

The president said there was a need for greater economic integration in the region.

“South Asia should become an integrated market. A seamless assembly line as well as regional value chains for global markets should be created,” he said.

“Indian and Bangladesh businessmen are already collaborating in fields such as readymade garments, textiles, leather and pharmaceuticals. There exists a huge potential for doing the same in food processing, light engineering goods, ship building and auto components,” President Mukherjee added.

The president said Indian investments in Bangladesh would help to create jobs and upgrade technology.

“These will make the Bangladesh economy more competitive and increase exports. It is for this reason that the two governments have agreed to cooperate to set up an Indian Special Economic Zone in Bangladesh. This is another big step forward towards restoring historic connections between our business communities, which will serve both well,” Mukherjee said.

The president said Bangladesh and India must come together as large consumers to develop and purchase cheap and clean energy.

“There is huge untapped potential to develop renewable energy like solar and wind energy.”

"As our economies get more integrated and our people better connected, our nations will become more prosperous. It will also open new economic doors for India's northeast. It will enable our two countries to integrate South Asia and connect it with the dynamic East," he said.

The president said he was confident that India-Bangladesh relations would always remain special and unique in the annals of South Asian history.

"The stage is now set for a quantum jump in our relations.”

“I am confident that the coming days will see a significant intensification of co-operation to eradicate poverty, enhance growth, promote trade and investment as well as fight the forces of terrorism, extremism and fundamentalism," he said.