Two to tango : On India-Bangladesh ties
India and Bangladesh must grapple with the new realities in ties
Amidst fast-deteriorating ties between India and Bangladesh, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s one-day visit to Dhaka provided a much-needed outreach to the interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus. The bilateral, and once model, relationship, with Bangladesh, has been unravelling ever since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India. These include India’s concerns over attacks on minorities, particularly Hindus, Bangladesh’s anger over ‘unwanted Indian interference’, and Ms. Hasina’s continued stay in India as Bangladesh calls for her to stand trial over charges of police crackdowns and corruption. In particular, protests in India against Bangladesh’s arrest of a Hindu monk for sedition, which led to an attack on their mission in Tripura, and marches against Indian missions and cultural centre in Dhaka, had fuelled anger in both capitals. After talks with Mr. Yunus, Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain and Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Muhammad Jashim Uddin, Mr. Misri stressed New Delhi’s “desire to work closely with the Interim Government of Bangladesh”, which was well-received. Unlike the shrill rhetoric in Delhi, his measured comments acknowledged the concerns of both sides over the “regrettable incidents of attacks on cultural, religious, and diplomatic properties”. Mr. Yunus is understood to have described the relationship between Bangladesh and India as “very solid” and “close”, asking India to help “clear the clouds”. He also said that Ms. Hasina’s statements were creating “tensions” in Bangladesh, an issue that India must consider carefully. The two sides also picked up the threads of previous talks on border management, trade and connectivity, cooperation in water, energy sectors, development cooperation, consular, cultural and people-to-people ties.
Given the largely positive optics of the visit, it would appear that there is an attempt to chart a new course in ties. While it is important for New Delhi to nudge its friends on issues of concern such as the attacks on minorities, as well as the need to restore a democratic and inclusive process at the earliest, the Modi government must also be prepared to hear the worries of its friends and neighbours on such issues that have a spillover effect in the region. At a time when changes in governments in Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives have thrown up challenges to India, the violent change in Bangladesh, that saw the ouster of an India-friendly leader, was no doubt a blow. It is time, however, for India to engage with the new realities in Bangladesh, based on a strong understanding that a close, consultative partnership is in the enduring interests of both countries