The New Nation - Internet Edition

ACCORDING to recent newspaper reports, people living in 32 Bangladesh enclaves along the Lalmonirhat border with India could not be enrolled as voters this time and are remaining deprived of national identity cards. These unfortunate citizens - about 50,000 of them - would not be able to cast their votes in any future elections. The media reports quoting both official and local sources put the blame on the Indian authorities for not allowing the officials concerned to enroll the Bangladesh enclave people in the photo voter list that would also have given them 'national identity cards' for the first time.

As reported, despite frantic efforts of the local administrations of both Lalmonirhat district and Patgram upazila, voter enrolment teams could not be sent to the enclaves inside Indian territory. Entry permit is required, as is the established practice to enter the enclaves from India wherein these are located. The interim government and the election commission have taken the move of providing national identity cards to all citizens across the country along with the enrolment as voters ahead of ensuing general election. The people living in the far-flung enclaves feel frustrated for not being able to become voters and national ID card holders.

Why the interim government and the election commission could not get things done by procuring entry permission well in time for the voter enrolment teams from the Indian authorities is not yet known. Bitter experiences could be mentioned on how India created obstacles to Bangladeshis even for routine movement to and from the two enclaves - Dahagram and Angorpota, despite a land boundary accord signed between the neighbouring countries at the highest level. However, still time is there to complete the unfinished task of enrolment of remaining enclave people as country's voters and providing them with national ID cards.