Neighbouring countries often face the challenge of reconciling their identities as distinct nations with their common historical and cultural heritage. Six decades after its independence, Pakistan's quest for a separate identity from India, while rejecting all manifestations of a shared cultural and spiritual ethos, has rendered the country schizophrenic.

Bangladesh, born barely four decades ago, on the other hand, feels quite comfortable sharing its cultural values and ethos with its neighbours across its borders, while zealously protecting the separate national identity it assumed since 1971. Both India and Bangladesh are this year separately and jointly celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore was the composer of the national anthems of both nations.

Sharing much in common, while being sovereign and independent nation-states, is a challenge that Bangladesh and India will confront in an era when religious beliefs across the world are assuming salience.

WELCOME CHANGE

India's Vice President, Mr. Hamid Ansari, led a high-level delegation to Bangladesh in May this year to mark Tagore's birth anniversary celebrations. There is also much else that has transpired in relations between the two neighbours that deserves to be welcomed.

Bangladesh has cracked down on Indian separatist groups, which had become used to operating from its soil, with state support. India, in turn, has reciprocated by becoming more forthcoming on resolving complex problems of river waters and border management, which have bedevilled relations between the two neighbours.

India has also realised that it has a vital interest in the economic progress of Bangladesh. The recent $1 billion Line of Credit extended to Bangladesh seems, at long last, to be coming in place to foster cooperation in areas ranging from railways to infrastructure development. India unfortunately has a reputation of being slow and tardy in implementing developmental projects in its neighbouring countries. One hopes that arrangements for supplying 250 MW power promised to Bangladesh are put in place expeditiously.

BORDER, WATER DISPUTES

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, will arrive in Bangladesh on a two-day visit beginning September 6. This is a visit preceded by meticulous preparations. Cabinet Ministers Mr. Pawan Bansal, Mr P. Chidambaram and Mr. S.M. Krishna have already paved the way for the forthcoming summit, through discussions on border management, sharing of river waters and South Asian connectivity. An agreement on transportation and transit for exports from Bhutan has been signed.

Mr. Chidambaram's assurance that India's Border Security Force has been barred from shooting at people crossing the border has been welcomed in Dhaka. The most visible symbol of Indian goodwill for Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would be the signing of an agreement finally demarcating the entire India-Bangladesh border and resolving other long-pending differences in implementing the 1974 Indira-Mujib Agreement.

India is required to hand over 111 enclaves to Bangladesh and in return get 51 enclaves under the 1974 agreement. It took us 18 years to lease a small corridor of land which we were required to, under the 1974 Agreement to Bangladesh, giving it access, in perpetuity, to its Dahagram-Angarpota enclave.

An ingenious solution has now been found to enable Bangladesh nationals to travel to this enclave at all times instead of the present restricted dawn-to-dusk arrangement.

All these moves will help Sheikh Hasina silence her critics in Bangladesh of her policies towards India. Differences over the transfer of enclaves and adverse possessions have also been amicably resolved. Bangladesh will get 10,048 acres of land and India receives 7,110 acres when the exchange of enclaves takes place.

It is not likely that significant numbers of people will leave their homes once these transfers occur. Barely 6.5 kilometres of the 4,096 kilometre India-Bangladesh border remained undemarcated after the 1974 Agreement. Thanks to some hard and dedicated work by the Ministries concerned in Delhi and the West Bengal Government, differences on border issues will stand resolved soon.

Dr. Singh's visit will also see the signing of agreements for resolving long-pending differences on sharing of the waters of the Teesta and Feni Rivers, with the signing of a 15-year interim accord that caters for the needs of West Bengal and Bangladesh equitably. If Mr. Jyoti Basu played a key role in fashioning the 1996 Agreement for sharing of the waters of the Ganga, Chief Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee will inevitably be a key player in taking forward the India-Bangladesh relationship in areas like border management and sharing of river waters.

BILATERAL TRADE

A remaining area on which Bangladesh has a legitimate grievance will hopefully be addressed during Dr. Singh's visit. This is the growing trade deficit — Indian exports to Bangladesh in 2010-11 stood at $ 3.84 billion, while we imported barely $ 406.3 million of Bangladesh's products. Bangladesh has been asking us to relax our garment import curbs. While the Commerce Minister, Mr Anand Sharma, demurred, one hopes Dr. Singh will show accommodation on this score.

The India-Bangladesh relationship has to be strong enough to withstand changes in Government on both sides. It was only appropriate for Mr S. M. Krishna to have called on the leader of the opposition, Begum Khaleda Zia, when he visited Dhaka, despite her known her known anti-India propensities.

We need to build on this through more multi-Party parliamentary exchanges. It is unfortunate that sustained efforts are not being made to cultivate Parliamentarians from Bangladesh, irrespective of their political affiliations.

(The author is a former High Commissioner to Pakistan. blfeedback@thehindu.co.in )

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