Calcutta: A.H.M. Mustafa Kamal, Bangladesh's high-profile minister for planning, is hoping for bigger investments from India and even better ties between the neighbours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit next month.
Kamal is a former president of the International Cricket Council - he resigned last month - and is in the city as a special invitee to Sunday's IPL VIII final.
"The relations between Bangladesh and India are very good, but can get better. We're looking forward to hosting Mr Modi on June 6-7 and, hopefully, there will be an increase in investments from India...
"I must add that Mr Modi has an excellent rapport with our Prime Minister (Sheikh Hasina) and they're in touch with each other fairly regularly," Kamal told The Telegraph on Friday.
According to Kamal, India's existing investments are largely in two sectors: Railways and power.
Incidentally, China is investing heavily, in the fields of power and communications. It's interesting that a few months after Modi's visit, China's Prime Minister, Lei Keqiang, is expected in Bangladesh.
Kamal praised India's Parliamentarians for "getting together" to resolve the decades-long enclaves issue between the neighbours.
"From what I understand, there was near-unanimity across party lines. The Trinamul, too, went along with the BJP-led government of Mr Modi. That's so heartening...
"Sorting out the enclaves problem is another example of the importance being accorded to bilateral ties on both sides," Kamal said.
Records show that 111 Indian enclaves are in Bangladesh, while the latter country has 51 of them on Indian territory.
Kamal, who did his masters in commerce and is a chartered accountant (having qualified from Karachi and Dhaka), took to politics during his college days.
"I'm 67 now and, really, have had a long innings in politics. My debut was when I was in college," Kamal, who is also the finance and planning secretary of the Awami League's central committee, pointed out.
Kamal could have held the finance portfolio, but preferred the planning ministry as (last year) some within the ICC may have made a big issue of his holding such a demanding portfolio.
