Round The World

New Delhi, 12 July 2011

Krishna’s Bangladesh Visit

DON’T SQUANDER GOOD TIES

By Monish Tourangbam

Research Scholar, School of International Studies (JNU)

The External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna’s recent visit to Bangladesh came at a tense moment on the heels of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s ill-timed remarks on Bangladesh which threatened to cause a diplomatic showdown. But, thanks to diplomats across the border the crisis was averted which could have hindered the otherwise positive trend in bilateral ties since election of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Importantly, the Hasina Administration has shown a lot of maturity and willingness to carry forward the relationship by successfully playing down the impact of Manmohan Singh’s “gaffe”. The Prime Minister made the faux pas during a media inter-action with newspaper editors in New Delhi.

According to sources, Manmohan Singh said, “with Bangladesh, our relations are quite good. But we must reckon that at least 25 per cent of the population of Bangladesh swears by the Jamaat-e-Islami and they are very anti-Indian, and are in the clutches, many times, of the ISI. So, a political landscape in Bangladesh can change at any time. We do not know what these terrorist elements, who have a hold on the Jamaat-e-Islami elements in Bangladesh, can be upto.”

As the comments appeared in the official transcript, it spread like a virus in cyberspace. And by the time, the Government acted and deleted them from the transcript, damage had already been done with fears lingering that it might affect the Foreign Minister’s visit to Bangladesh and subsequently the big-ticket visit of the Prime Minister in September.

Even as the fall-out raged in both countries, in a damage-control exercise, Manmohan Singh called Sheikh Hasina reminding her that India attached the “highest importance” to relations with her country. Fortunately, the recent upward trend in Indo-Bangladeshi relations under the pro-India Sheikh Hasina managed to successfully glide over the controversy.

Undoubtedly, Krishna’s visit has been hailed a success, thus paving the way for a promising visit by the Prime Minister.  Asserted the Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni in Dhaka, “Such type of mistakes do happen. There is no scope for any misunderstanding now.”

During his visit, the Foreign Minister delivered a speech on “India and Bangladesh: Partners in Progress” at the Bangladesh Institute of International & Strategic Studies (BIISS). He espoused faith in the potentials of India and Bangladesh to work together and “to play a greater role in regional, and global, affairs in the years ahead.” 

Significantly, Sheikh Hasina’s term has been much appreciated for giving a new momentum to the relationship, standing up to critics of an Indo-Bangladeshi convergence. An initiation seems to have been made to better assess ties between the neighbours in the light of changing times, and not let unsettled issues mar development prospects. 

Now, renovation work has to be carried out in the mutual interest of both sides. In this pursuit, India as one of the fastest growing economies in the world and a major player at the global stage should take the lead, and prevent any untoward mistakes from sapping the prospects of the relationship.

During Krishna’s visit, two agreements were signed: Exchange of instruments of ratification in respect of the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) and SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for entry of trucks from Bhutan into territories of the two countries near the border. 

Both sides have given utmost importance to the implementation of the joint communiqué adopted last year and Krishna expressed satisfaction that a number of proposals received for utilization of the US$ 1 billion Line of Credit were under implementation. 

Significant convergences regarding cooperation in the power sector were highlighted with both nations arriving at various agreements, including establishment of grid connectivity up to 500 MW of power from India of which 250 MW would be at a preferential rate. New Delhi has also responded positively to Dhaka’s request for setting up of a high technology joint venture thermal power plant of 1320 MW capacity at Khulna and has completed the feasibility report. 

To improve trade infrastructure and connectivity between the two countries, a new Land Customs Station (LCS) at Fulbari-Banglabandha was opened in January 2011 and New Delhi has now undertaken to set-up seven Integrated Check Posts (ICP). Border Haats in Meghalaya will also be soon inaugurated.

As rapidly developing countries with huge populations trying to match the march of globalization, undeniably South Asian countries would increasingly struggle with the need to find resources to feed the need of their developments. In this context, effective resource management forms one of the most vital issues when it comes to relations between South Asian neighbours. Hence, the water-sharing frameowork between India and Bangladesh and its implementation in a spirit of mutualism and transparency is pivotal for taking the relationship forward.

New Delhi and Dhaka have expressed firm optimism on the signing of an interim deal on sharing the waters of Teesta and Feni rivers and a framework agreement on land border during the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's upcoming Dhaka visit in September. The work on river bank protection and embankment construction along the common rivers is progressing and the dredging of the Ichhamati River is nearing completion. 

 Clearly, zero-tolerance for terrorism and jointly fighting terror in all its manifestation should be of paramount importance. This issue is of utmost concern to India’s security and has been an enduring piece of the inter-actions. Both sides have constantly reiterated that their soils would not be allowed for activities inimical to each others’ interests. They reportedly agreed to closely coordinate activities to prevent trafficking and smuggling of arms, narcotics and fake currency notes in order to control criminal activities along the border. 

North-East insurgent groups taking advantage of the porous border and finding safe havens on the other side has been India’s major concern and sustaining efforts to contain these activities would be a major fillip in bilateral understanding. Underscored Krishna, “The rise of religious fundamentalism, extremism and terrorism are not unfamiliar to our region… India and Bangladesh have had good cooperation in fighting such forces. It is imperative that we continue to join hands to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.”

True, the two countries are bound by age-old cultural links and connected by the very nature in which an independent Bangladesh evolved. However, the course of bilateral ties has not been linear, seeing some lean phases wherein issues of resource-sharing arrangements and differences in perceiving security issues have impeded relations.

Sheikh Hasina’s Premiership has increased expectations and both sides expect good dividends. Given that India’s rise as a global power cannot negate its concerns of a complex neigbourhood, our leaders do not have the luxury of “attention lapse”. The momentum achieved in India’s relations with Bangladesh should not be squandered and every effort should be made to assuage the Bangladeshi leaders and people that all new developments would be carried forward on the basis of mutual interest and consent. ---- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)