UNB, Dhaka :
Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) President Maj Gen (retd) ANM Muniruzzaman has sought a more proactive role from India towards resolving the Rohingya crisis.
“We need a more proactive role from India on solving the Rohingya crisis,” he said while speaking at a symposium titled ‘Bangladesh-India Relations: Prognosis for the Future’ which premiered on Facebook Thursday night.
Renowned scholar-diplomat and adviser on foreign affairs to the last caretaker government Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury chaired the event hosted by the Cosmos Foundation, philanthropic arm of the Cosmos Group.
Chairman of Cosmos Foundation Enayetullah Khan delivered the opening remarks at the event.
In reply, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami, who delivered the keynote speech, said they fully support the idea of “safe, sustainable and expedited” return of the displaced people back to Myanmar. “I can’t see how it can be doubted in any way.”
He said the presence of Rohingyas is not in Bangladesh’s interest, not in the region’s interest, and certainly it is not in India’s interest. “The point is that they need to go back.”
However, former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty said India, which shares a border with Bangladesh and Myanmar, cannot fully support Bangladesh over the Rohingya issue due to its internal problem and national interests.
“On Myanmar, my point is that India’s ambivalence should be understood in the context of India’s national inserts. We can’t swing into absolute support and favour for Bangladesh,” he said.
Pinak said he will not get into details but people who know will understand the situation. “We have an insurgency problem in the northeast and we have our own problems and difficulties in dealing with Myanmarees on the Rohingya issue,” he said.
Bangladesh and Myanmar signed the repatriation deal on November 23, 2017. On January 16, 2018, Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a document on ‘Physical Arrangement’, which was supposed to facilitate the return of Rohingyas to their homeland.
Bangladesh says the Rohingyas do not trust their government, and Bangladesh gave a number of proposals to build trust among them.
Bangladesh is trying in multiple ways-bilaterally, multilaterally, tri-laterally and through the judicial system-to find a lasting solution to the Rohingya crisis.
Bangladesh proposed deployment of nonmilitary civilian observers from Myanmar’s friendly countries-Japan, China, Russia, India and Asean countries.
