Bangladesh PM to visit India's Tripura state on Jan 11-12

Agartala (Tripura, India), Jan 7 (PTI) Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would arrive in Agartala on January 11 on a two-day trip to the northeast Indian state of Tripura bordering Bangladesh, official sources said today. The visit would be the first by any prime minister of Bangladesh to Tripura, an Indian state which had played a key role in that country's liberation war. Hasina, who would be heading a 56-member delegation including Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni and two other ministers, would be received by India's Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal, Tripura state Chief Secretary S K Panda said. Sibal would receive Hasina as a special emissary of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when she arrives at the Agartala airport by a special aircraft from Dhaka at 3 p m on the day, he said. India's Vice-President Hamid Ansari would also arrive here on the day on the occasion of the visit. During her stay, besides being conferred an honorary doctorate of literature by the Tripura University, she would also participate in discussions with business delegations of both countries. She would return to Bangladesh on January 12 after a civic reception by Agartala Municipal Council, he added. PTI Pic for caption: A student walks past a hoarding of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, which has been put up for the forthcoming 9th convocation of the Tripura University, in Agartala on Saturday. Hasina will be conferred an honorary D Lit. by the university. PTI Photo