India on Friday said it will factor "all related developments" into its overall approach to the Teesta river issue, as Bangladesh and China deepen discussions on the proposed Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project (TRCMRP), a development with strategic implications for the region.
Responding to questions on the Teesta project during the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) briefing, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India's development assistance to Bangladesh continues to be guided by a mutually agreed framework.
"India's development assistance for projects in Bangladesh is based on a mutually agreed roadmap which is regularly reviewed. Our views on the Teesta river project have been previously conveyed to the Bangladeshi side. We will factor all related developments in our overall approach to the Teesta issue."
The remarks came after Bangladesh and China discussed the TRCMRP during Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's recent visit to China. China's involvement in managing the Teesta river is seen as strategically significant, with the potential to complicate India-Bangladesh relations.
The Teesta river originates in the eastern Himalayas and flows through Sikkim and West Bengal before entering Bangladesh, where it is a crucial source of irrigation and livelihood for millions. The river basin is also located near India's strategically sensitive Siliguri Corridor, the narrow 22-km land link connecting the mainland with the northeastern states.
Asked about reports concerning Bangladesh's plans to modernise the strategically located Mongla Port with Chinese assistance and its reported plans to procure fighter jets from China, Jaiswal said, "We pay attention to all these issues and take whatever appropriate steps we deem necessary."
Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman had said on June 27 that ties between Dhaka and Beijing had reached their "highest level" following Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit to China.
According to him, "significant progress" was made on the TRCMRP, with China pledging support and both sides agreeing to expedite the project's feasibility study.
The two countries had also agreed to fast-track the Mongla Port Modernisation and Expansion Project and the Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone Development Project in Chattogram, he had said.
On a separate issue concerning consular services in Australia, Kuwait and the UAE, Jaiswal said, "Our missions in concerned countries, that is in Australia, Kuwait and the UAE, continue to offer... limited consular services."
He said the operations of outsourcing agencies supporting consular services in these countries "have been kept on hold as the matter is presently sub judice. We await directions from the honourable high court" on the matter.
Responding to reports that UNESCO had asked Pakistan to reverse reconstruction work at the World Heritage Site of Taxila, Jaiswal said, "Cultural heritage... especially those recognised by UNESCO, don't belong to any one person or country. It belongs to the entire world. And as such, it's our responsibility to protect and preserve our heritage and move forward."
According to Pakistani media reports, UNESCO has warned that Taxila could be removed from the World Heritage List if the reconstruction work that allegedly undermined the site's integrity is not reversed.
Located in Pakistan's Punjab province, Taxila comprises a vast archaeological complex, including a Mesolithic cave, remains of four early settlement sites, Buddhist monasteries, and a mosque and madrassa.
