Yunus calls for resolving issues over Teesta water-sharing treaty with India

Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus has said the interim government will pursue with India ways to resolve the differences over the long-pending Teesta water-sharing treaty as prolonged delays benefit neither country.

In an interview with the Indian national news agency PTI at his official residence in Dhaka, Yunus stressed that the water-sharing dispute between the two nations should be settled in line with international standards, highlighting that lower riparian countries like Bangladesh have specific rights that they are determined to protect.

"By sitting over this issue [water sharing], it is not serving any purpose. If I know how much water I will get, even if I am not happy and sign it, it would be better. This issue has to be resolved," he said.

In response to a question about whether the interim government would prioritise resolving the Teesta water-sharing treaty issue, he said the new regime would pursue it.

"Push is a big word; I am not saying it. We will pursue it. But we have to sit together and resolve it," Yunus told PTI.

India and Bangladesh were poised to sign an agreement on the Teesta water-sharing during India's former prime minister Manmohan Singh's 2011 visit to Dhaka. However, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee refused to support the deal, citing water shortages in her state, says PTI.

"This is not a new issue but a very old issue. We have spoken on this issue on several occasions. The discussions began during the period of Pakistan's rule. While we all wanted this treaty to be finalised, even the Indian government was ready for it. However, the state government of West Bengal was not ready for it. We need to resolve it," he said.

Yunus reiterated that lower riparian countries like Bangladesh have specific rights that they seek to uphold.

"We have to resolve this issue according to international norms. The lower riparian countries have certain rights, and we want those rights," he said.

His comments follow shortly after the interim government's Adviser on Water Resources, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, informed the PTI that Dhaka would push for reviving talks on the Teesta water-sharing treaty with New Delhi.

She underscored that both nations should follow international guidelines governing water-sharing between upper and lower riparian states.

Addressing the flood situation in Bangladesh and reports from Dhaka attributing the floods to India, Yunus suggested that, until the treaty is finalised, a humanitarian approach could be taken to manage such crises.

"When the high commissioner [of India] came to meet me, I said that we can work on better management to see how the situation can be controlled during the floods. For such coordination between two countries, we do not need any treaty. We can work on this together on humanitarian grounds and resolve this, as this will ease the suffering of the masses. Such humanitarian steps would really help," he said.

Speaking about the contentious issue of border killings, Yunus condemned it and said killing is not a solution to dealing with it.

"Killing someone is not a solution, as there are legal ways to deal with this. There has to be a ground mechanism and legal procedure to handle it. This is a one-sided thing. No one is crossing the border to capture your country; those who are being killed by shooting are just couriers. This is callousness. This has to stop," he said.