Bangladesh party chief urges India,Nepal to facilitate border trade

Siliguri, Feb 20 (UNI) Bangladesh Krishak Samity Army League's chairman Mahbub Alam today urged India and Nepal to facilitate border trade with his country, being affected by rampant strikes called by Limbuan tribes in eastern Nepal.

Eastern Nepal, which shares its border with Darjeeling district in West Bengal, often witnesses violence and strike sponsored by the Limbuans, who have been agitating for their own "Limbuland" within the nepalese kingdom.

Mr Alam, a Bangladesh War veteran, was here also urged India to take steps to allow trade between the two countries (Nepal and Bangladesh) through Phulbari, a corridor connecting between Nepal in the west and Bangladesh in the east. Phulbari, about 10 km from here, is within the juridiction of Siliguri sub-division.

The BAKSAL chief, who is presently visiting Siliguri on the occasion of Indo-Bangladesh-Pakistan People's Forum, of which he is the Chairman of the Bangladesh chapter, said that repeated conflicts in the eastern region of Nepal has resulted in scarcity of food supply in Bangladresh.

UNI XC-LL PC RN1711