Enclave swap: Joy beyond boundaries for thousands

It is a celebration time for thousands of people living in the hitherto India-Bangladesh enclaves as they are awaiting the much-sought enclave swap between the two countries at one minute past midnight on Saturday, breaking the shackles of separation from their homelands.The red disc will be on top of the green field as the national flag of Bangladesh will be hoisted in 111 enclaves inside the country on the zero hours while the tricolor of deep saffron, white and India green with the Ashoka Chakra in the centre hoisted in 51 enclaves inside India, reports United News of Bangladesh.At Dasiarchhora enclave in Phulbari upazila of Kurigram, thousands of people will join the flag hoisting ceremony while the moment will also be marked by lighting 68 candles, releasing 68 balloons and exploding 68 firecrackers, symbolising the years of ambiguous existence of the people between the thin borderline of the two countries.Most of them have opted to stay at the lands of their upbringing, embracing the choice of nationality offered to them by both the countries, while some of them have chosen otherwise to have new home on the other side of the border.‘It’s not a question of shifting to India or not… we’re moving to India only for livelihood. We’ve been winning our breads by working at different places in India over the last 15 years,’ said Hamida Hossain, wife of Mozammel Haque of Chairmentanary in Dasiarchhora enclave.
‘We don’t get works here. India is a big country. Obviously, we’ll get opportunities of income generation there,’ she continued.While Hamida is shifting to India on her own choice, it was quite a different matter with Minu Begum and Shahana, both born and brought up in Bangladesh mainland, as their husbands have decided to move their families to India against their will.When she was married off to Altaf of Dasiarchhora area, Shahana hoped that the enclave will become Bangladesh one day. Now that her hope has fulfilled, she has no reason to cherish as she has to move away from her paternal links at Kuthichandrakhana village in the district.

However, most people of the enclave has opted to stay at their ancestral place, embracing Bangladesh nationality. Of the 8,312 people living in the 12 enclaves in Phulbari and Bhuringamari upazilas of the district, 317 had opted for Indian nationality. Later, 33 of the 317 people changed their decision.Maulana Mofazzal Islam, a medicine trader of Dashiarchhora enclave, said, ‘I was born here… I grew up inhaling the air, feeling the sunlight of this land. I made friends, took my nourishment… all are linked to Bangladesh. Why should I move away from Bangladesh?’‘I don’t need any extra facility. I don’t want to be known as an outsider. Even if I get only rice and lentil soup here, it’ll be better because it’s my homeland,’ said Mofazzal.As a part of the process to implement the 1974 historic Land Boundary Agreement, the swap of enclaves between Bangladesh and India formally has been in effect from the wee hours of Friday, bringing an end to the 68-year statelessness of thousands of people.With the midnight swap, the 51 Bangladesh enclaves in India have become Indian territories while 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh harnessed with Bangladesh territories.The respective district administrations of both the countries will hoist their respective national flags in the enclaves on Saturday morning.Gazette notifications pertaining to the territories will be issued by both the governments very soon.The residents, except those who opted for moving to India from Indian enclaves which are becoming Bangladesh territories, will be given Bangladesh citizenship.Similarly, the residents of Bangladesh enclaves becoming Indian territories will be given Indian citizenship.The movement of people would take place between November 1 and 30, 2015. Both the governments would ensure safe, orderly and secure passage for the movement to the mainland.The High Commissioners of the two countries on Thursday signed 30 boundary strip maps in Dhaka.
The historic Land Boundary Agreement between Bangladesh and India was signed by Bangabandhu Shiekh Mujibur Rahman and Srimati Indira Gandhi in 1974.Both the countries agreed that the Bangladeshi enclaves in India and Indian enclaves in Bangladesh will be exchanged in pursuant to the 1974 Agreement and 2011 Protocol shall stand transferred to the other with effect from 12:01am of August 1, 2015.Under the Land Boundary Agreement, India will exchange 111 enclaves measuring 17,160 acres to Bangladesh and receive 51 enclaves covering 7,110 acres. More than 51,000 people reside in these enclaves.There are 111 Indian enclaves inside Bangladesh – 12 in Kurigram, 59 in Lalmonirhat, four in Nilphamari and 36 in Panchagarh, whereas all 51 Bangladeshi enclaves are located in Cooch Behar of India.According to the Indo-Bangla joint survey report disclosed on July 21, 779 residents of 111 Indian enclaves on Bangladesh side opted for going to India while no one of the residents of Bangladeshi enclaves on Indian side intended to come to Bangladesh,As per the joint report, there are 14,500 residents in the 51 Bangladeshi enclaves on the Indian side, and 44,500 people in 111 Indian enclaves landlocked in Bangladesh.The enclave residents of Kurigram, Panchagarh, Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat have taken different programmes to celebrate the end to their captive life after so many years.

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