UNB, Dhaka :
The wait for the verdict on the maritime boundary dispute between Bangladesh and India will end soon as the Netherlands-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) is set to deliver its judgment within a week.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, at a function – National Fish Week 2014 – on Wednesday, urged all to pray so that verdict goes in favour of Bangladesh and mentioned that it will come out within a week.
Meanwhile, Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin, at a regular briefing in New Delhi on Wednesday, said the
verdict would come out within a week. “Within one week from today….,” he said when a reporter asked whether he has any information regarding when the verdict will be pronounced.
During the visit of Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Syed Akbaruddin told reporters that both India and Bangladesh are committed to abiding by the outcome of the legal process.
He also assured that India will fulfill the requirement in line with the outcome, whatever the outcome is as both the countries went to the process ‘voluntarily.’ “We’re committed to abiding by the outcome of that process…both of us…we’ll wait for that outcome and act accordingly.”
Bangladesh expects, as State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam told Parliament on February 5, to have control over nearly 25,000 square kilometers of maritime areas if it wins the case related to the Bay of Bengal maritime boundary dispute between Bangladesh and India.
“We’ll be able to know exactly how much area we’ll get once the final verdict comes out…we’re expecting that it’ll be within 25,000 square kilometers,” he informed the House while responding to a supplementary question from Habibur Rahman Mollah (Dhaka-5) on the day.
The hearing on the case related to the Bay of Bengal maritime boundary dispute between Bangladesh and India concluded at the PCA in December last year.
The hearing was held from December 9 to December 18 at the Peace Palace in The Hague, it said.
Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali and Attorney General of India Goolam E Vahanvati made opening statements on behalf of the parties.
Later, the agent of Bangladesh and former Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni made introductory remarks.
