Dr. Anu Mahmud :
India and its great people have a special place in our heart, and a permanent niche in the history of Bangladesh. India’s unstinted support during our liberation struggle in 1971 will be remembered by all of us forever.
Bangladesh and India share historical linkages, common culture, values and religious ethos. We also espouse shared aspirations for a peaceful and prosperous future. A healthy, mutually beneficial Bangladesh-India relation is vital to the future of the region.
Since the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina assumed office, the relationship between our two countries has reached new heights. It has matured based on each other’s appreciation, needs and concerns. We are committed to take the relations to an even higher level.
It is often said that the destinies of the peoples of Bangladesh and India are inter-dependent and inter-twined.
The symbiotic relations between Bangladesh and India evolved from centuries of shared history, religion, culture and multitude of commonalities. The two countries are physically contiguous, share common rivers and eco-systems. Our bilateral relationship has its genesis in the history and is rooted in our struggle for independence, when India extended invaluable support during our War of Liberation in 1971. The relationship has since grown in depth and dimension. The two countries are becoming increasingly interlinked through engagements in almost all conceivable sectors of cooperation, security being among the most important components.
Bangladesh attaches highest importance to its relations with India. India also recognizes that a stable and economically robust Bangladesh is in India’s own interest. This mutual respect and understanding particularly of each other’s concerns and priorities has put the relationship on solid fundamentals. The relations have taken a quantum leap forward over the past five years. Following the assumption of office by the Awami League-led present government in Bangladesh after the January 2014 elections and also assumption of office by BJP-led NDA government in India in May 2014 after the 16th Lok Sabha elections, that excellent relationship continues to thrive. We are confident that Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Hon’ble Prime Minister Modi’s leaderships would usher in a newer era of bilateral relations building on the successes of the previous years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement “Bangabandhu created Bangladesh and his daughter Shiekh Hasina saved Bangladesh” is the epitome of his goodwill and height of demonstration of BJP government’s positive attitude towards Bangladesh and its government. The intent of Prime Minister Modi to take the relationship to ‘greater heights’ is very remarkable too. The same was expressed in first meeting between the two Prime Ministers in New York last September. All these expressions convey the unambiguous message of the Modi-government to further develop relations with Bangladesh.
The first stand-alone bilateral visit abroad by Indian External Affairs Minister Smt. SushmaSwaraj in June 2014 reiterated unequivocally our willingness to enhance further Bangladesh-India relations and further implement various programmers to enhance well-being of our two peoples. The visit have also raised the level of confidence and comfort between the two governments to engage and take the relationship forward.
Bangladesh is located at the confluence of Bhutan, Nepal and the North-eastern States of India. We are also straddling the cross-road of South and Southeast Asia. Taking advantage of this unique geographical location, Bangladesh is poised to play its natural role as the hub of connectivity. We are keen to establish connectivity for the whole region including India because this would bring about unprecedented prosperity for all the countries. For this very reason, the sub-regional cooperation on Connectivity was taken up involving Bangladesh, India, Bhutan and Nepal. Bangladesh is also actively
participating in other regional connectivity initiatives such as the BCIM Economic Corridor. All these are testimonies to our intention to establish a better connected South Asia.
Greater economic integration is the call of the day worldwide. Synergies of our two thriving economies, which are also two of the largest in the region, could be harnessed further to the benefit of not only the two countries but also for the prosperity of the entire region. The eagerness of the two governments to enhance economic ties is a very good sign and the accruing economic dividends would certainly have a more congenial impact on overall Bangladesh-India relations.
We are offering a Special Economic Zone for India and hope the Indian investors would make the best use of this enabling situation. Development cooperation is featuring more prominently in our discussions. This adds further depth, dimension and commonality of interest in the relationship.
We attach utmost importance to human security. In the present times, security is directly related to globalization due to growing inter-dependence of all aspects of our lives. At the root of threat to security lies a variety of forces that have become global in scope and more serious in their effects. The issues related to security have, therefore, become a central component of our neighbourhood policy.
Security cooperation has also been the high point of India-Bangladesh relations in the recent years. It is the principled and unequivocal position of Bangladesh not to tolerate terrorism in any form and not to allow its soil to be used against the interest of any country, particularly India.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, since her assumption of office in January 2009 continued her government’s sincere efforts in addressing the security concerns of India, which strengthened significantly the confidence of the Indian government and people. This changed mindset of the leaderships in both the countries gave the relationship a new dimension and took it to a different level. The same degree of cooperation from our side will continue. Recent incidents such as the Burdwan blast, have brought to the fore yet again the importance of security cooperation between the two countries. Bangladesh is extending all possible support to India in this regard.
Dhaka and New Delhi took significant steps to formalize security cooperation when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited New Delhi in January 2010. There the two sides signed as many as three security related agreements namely,
(1) on Mutual Legal Assistance on Criminal Matters,
(2) on Transfer of Sentenced Persons, and
(3) on Combating International Terrorism, Organized Crime, and Illicit Drug Trafficking.
The two sides also signed a Coordinated Border Management Plan (CBMP) in August 2011. Under the CBMP, the border guarding forces of the two countries are carrying out certain actions which have significantly improved the situation at the border. Subsequently, with signing of the Extradition Treaty in January 2013 all security related enabling instruments are now in place.
We have a three-tiered bilateral security mechanism at the Ministry of Home Affairs, with regular consultations at the official level, at Secretary level and finally at Ministerial level. We have nodal points for cooperation on specific issues and institutional mechanisms for regular bilateral consultations at the operational level for following up on policy level decisions.
Some sectoral ask forces such as-
(a) Task Forces for combating smuggling of Fake Currency Notes, and
(b) Task Force for curbing Human Trafficking have already started operation.
Bangladesh and India, therefore, have a very extensive framework now to deal with security related issues.
Bangladesh-India relationship is based on historical, cultural, linguistic, religious, ethnic and social ties that date back to millennia. The two countries are physically contiguous, share common rivers and eco-systems. The emotional bond between the peoples of the two countries is the strongest part of the relationship.
Bangladesh attaches highest importance to its relationship with India. India also recognizes that a stable and economically robust Bangladesh is in India’s own interest. This mutual respect and understanding of each other’s concerns has put the relationship on a solid footing. The exchange of visits between the Hon’ble Prime Ministers of our two countries in January 2010 and September 2011 enabled them to lay out a roadmap that envisaged ways to resolve pending issues and identify new areas of cooperation.
The bilateral relationship, having its genesis in the history and rooted in our struggle for independence, has grown in depth and dimension over the decades; it has evolved with time. The two countries are becoming increasingly interlinked through engagements in almost all conceivable sectors of cooperation. A careful study would depict how the relationship has contemporized from historical connections to a multi-faceted, dynamic, complex and comprehensive realm, as it stands today.
Bangladesh-India relations cover a widely divergent areas, viz. economic and commercial, border management, security, water sharing and water resource management, communication and connectivity, energy and power, delimitation of maritime and land boundaries, education and cultural, agriculture & fisheries, biodiversity and numerous other issues of mutual interest. Apart from bilateral, we have now embarked on sub-regional and regional cooperation in certain sectors. Our relationship at the multilateral level is also growing. The engagement is intense at all levels, from highest political leadership to officials down to common people.
Bangladesh is bound by the Indian states of West Bengal to the west and north, Assam to the north, Meghalaya to the north and northeast, and Tripura and Mizoram to the east. Bangladesh shares 4,156kilometres of land border with these states. There are 54 common rivers with India which flow into Bangladesh through these states. Physical contiguity with West Bengal and north-eastern states played an important role during our War of Liberation as it does even today in our bilateral relations. The relation of Bangladesh with the north-eastern states of India therefore, occupies an important space in the overall Bangladesh-India bilateral relation.
The 1971 Liberation War is the most crucial event in our national history as it brought about our independence – our most precious and sacred achievement. And Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was its architect. It was at his clarion call and under his undisputed leadership that our people joined the war of independence and emerged victorious.
Turning from history, let us now look at how our relationship with north-east India is contemporizing and ever evolving. A lot of developments have taken place between Bangladesh and north-eastern India since 1971. We are playing an important role in this region’s economic development, peace and stability.
We are enhancing our trade relations by exporting quality products at a cheaper price. India granted duty-free, quota-free access to all items except 25 tariff linats relating to tobacco and alcohal to Bangladesh. Earlier, India granted duty-free, quota-free access to 46 textile tariff lines of greatest sensitive to Bangladesh comprising Ready Made Garments during the visit of the Prime Minister of India to Bangladesh in 2011. This initiatives has opened up the 1.2 billion strong Indian market to all Bangladesh products.
There is the unique idea of ‘border haats’ along the border of Bangladesh with India’s north-eastern states. Two ‘border haats’ are already in operation. From our experience with these two haats, we can say that they are playing an important role in enhancing economic activities in the bordering areas. These haats are contributing to the prosperity of the remote villages which usually remain out of bound of normal trade routes. Also the haats are helping formalize the informal trade. Haat days provide an opportunity to the population on both sides of the border, who have familial ties, to socialize. Thus these haats are enhancing people-to-people contact which is a very strong catalyst in our overall relationship. Work for setting up two haats is going on, four more are in the pipeline.
Bangladesh has contributed to north-east’s power sector development by allowing transportation of Over Dimensional Cargo for Tripura’s Palatana Power Plant over our territory. In exchange, Indian government is agreeable to supply us with 100 MW of power from that plant. Once grid connectivity between the two countries is established for this purpose, it will open up more opportunities for power exchange. Work is on to utilize north-east’s hydro-power potential which would be economically viable, if that surplus power could be carried over to Bangladesh territory. As it is done, we would receive a share of the power transferred. We are also exploring joint venture investment in hydro-power projects and the possibility of power import/exchange through interconnection with the north-east.
To develop power & Energy Sector these steps are taken-
(1) 500 MW capacity transmission Line operational at Behrampur-Bheramara since 5th October 2013.
(2) Second line for carrying additional 500 MW will be constructed by June 2017.
(3) Link for flow of 100 MW power from Palatana Project in Tripura will be ready by December 2015.
(4) Alignment for flow of 6500-7000 Mw power from India’s North East to Central India passing through Bangladesh agree upon. Bangladesh will get additional power.
(5) India has proposed building of pipeline from Siliguri to Parbatipur, Bangladesh for transportation of diesel.
Under the aegis sub-regional cooperation, discussions are taking place in joint working groups for cooperation in the sectors of ‘water resources management & power’ and ‘connectivity’ involving Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Bhutan. India is willing to supply us their surplus petroleum production in northeast through pipelines.
While looking at connectivity from a regional and holistic perspective, as part of our plan to establish Bangladesh as a bridge between South Asia and South-East Asia and beyond, India’s north-east comes as an important link of connectivity. We are working on establishing links with north-east through reviving old rail links; opening up new Land Customs Stations/Land Ports/Immigration points or reviving old ones; revamping trade infrastructures; looking at new road connectivity or reviving old ones etc. Bridge over Feniriver, rail connectivity between Akhaura and Agartala and development of Ramgarah-Subroom, these are the small links in the bigger picture of an inter-connected region that we strive for. This message was firmly conveyed when our Hon’ble Prime Minister paid a historic visit to Agartala in January 2012. Besides, we have proposed direct bus services between Dhaka-Shillong and Dhaka-Guwahati.
Work is on by both sides to preserve the graves of the valiant freedom fighters of Bangladesh sparsed along the border of Bangladesh and north-east India or to bring back their mortal remains to Bangladesh.
We need to complement India’s endeavour to develop its north-eastern statesmuch as for our own interest. Development of north-east has an important security dimension which we should not lose sight of. It will ultimately be a win-win situation. Given the abundance of natural resources in India’s north-east, its huge economic potentials remains to be untapped. Due to our geographical contiguity, we are in the best position to do so. Their natural resources and raw materials can be imported to Bangladesh for value addition and re-exported to India or elsewhere. This is taking place but needs to be done on a much larger scale. Business communities of both the countries could think about more investment in the region in different potential sectors
The resounding and overwhelming victory of BJP in the Lok Sabha elections was demonstration of the huge degree of trust and confidence that the people of India chose to repose on BJP and Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi. This is also an apt endorsement to Mr. Modi’s political acumen, leadership and a fitting recognition of his dedicated services to people. We admire his ‘Gujarat model’ and hope that his visions and actions will lead India to greater prosperity and all-round development.
Inviting Heads of State/Government of SAARC countries to his swearing-in ceremony has been a unique and unprecedented gesture by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is reflective of the importance that he attaches to India’s immediate neighbourhood. It has also been the priority of our Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government to enhance relations with our neighbours. So, we see a great convergence between the policies of the two governments.
We are a moderate, secular, progressive and vibrant democracy with the economy founded on strong macro-economic fundamentals. Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has framed a perspective plan called ‘Vision- 2021’ to become a middle-income ‘Digital Bangladesh’ by the 50th anniversary of our independence. We are right on course aiming at ‘Vision- 2041’ when Bangladesh would become a developed nation.
Our socio-economic development exhibited extra-ordinary resilience even in the face of global financial meltdown. We have achieved food security and are on track to meet almost all the MDGs by 2015.
Our achievements in empowerment of women, gender parity, reducing maternal and child mortality, and poverty eradication have been lauded globally.
Our contributions to international peace and stability are widely acclaimed. Bangladesh is often called a ‘Model of Economic Development’.
We still believe that it is through collective development of the region that we can achieve more for our peoples. We, therefore, need to deepen and widen regional and sub-regional cooperation. After SAARC and BIMSTEC, our active role in BCIM EC initiative is an apt testimony of our approach. The launching of trilateral cooperation involving Bangladesh, India and Bhutan in which Nepal will also join eventually, would set another platform for development of the region.
From the historical inception it has transformed into a complex, multi-dimensional and comprehensive realm. As it grew, it has had significant bearing on the region and beyond. Today the world at large is also interested in our relationship. And we owe a lot to you all collectively for bringing this very unique and vast-ranging relationship to this thriving state.
As often happens between two close neighbours, the relations between Bangladesh and India have gone through ups and downs. The height of the relationship was when India extended unstinting support and assistance to our quest for self-determination. During the visit by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, our Father of the Nation, to India in early 1972, he stated that “Bangladesh and India would live in eternal friendship as brothers” since the two countries had “an identity of ideals, outlook and values and would live in amity”. This encapsulates the very essence of our relationship. Unfortunately after the tragic and brutal assassination of Bangabandhu and members of his family on 15 August 1975, the bilateral relations took a different path. The relationship again picked up and gathered momentum after the Awami League-led government assumed office under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina once in 1996 and then in 2009.
That relationship was revitalized and given a new direction by the visions of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in January 2010 and reinforced in September 2011. The Joint Communiqué of 2010, Joint Statement of 2011 and the Framework Agreement on Cooperation for Development signed in 2011 charted the future course of relations. Consequently, our relationship with India scaled new heights. It attained a new maturity based on the appreciation, respect and understanding of each other’s perspectives, concerns and priorities which has put the relationship on a solid footing.
There is no denying the fact that our mutual interests can be best served by strengthening our relations. Moreover, stability and prosperity of this region is no less significant for the wellbeing of our people. Mutual recognition of and respect for each other’s importance is the defining factor of our relationship. We are constantly venturing into newer areas of cooperation which would have appeared impractical even a decade ago. This has set precedent for other countries in the region to emulate. It also signifies the width, depth and level of confidence in our bilateral relations.
As for us, enhancing relations with our immediate neighbors is the foreign policy priority of the present government which has been echoed by the new government in India too. The recent forward movement in the bilateral relationship between Bangladesh and India also needs to be viewed in the larger regional context. Our bilateral policies with our neighbors are specially geared towards complementing and consolidating our ‘neighbourhood policy’ and ‘regional policy’ as well as the policy to work towards peace and development. We are working with some of the neighbouring countries to explore certain areas of cooperation in the sub-regional context. Once realized, I believe, it would bring prosperity to the sub-region as a whole.
There will always be issues between neighbours and, Bangladesh and India are no exceptions. But we believe that if we approach the issues with an open mind, resolution is possible however intractable they might seem. The amicable settlement of the maritime boundary delimitation is a case in point. We are hopeful of settling the other pending issues which would add a new dimension to the relations.
The emotional bond and people-to-people contacts between our two countries, having genesis in our common history and struggle, form the strongest and most treasured part of our relationship. It has a profound effect on the psyche of the people of the two countries and a huge salutary impact on the overall bilateral relations.
The relations between Bangladesh and India have withstood the test of time. Despite ups and downs in the past, the relationship has reached a point from where it can only blossom. There is no end to further strengthening of our relations. Our endeavour, as eloquently put by Prime Minister Modi in his letter to our Prime Minister, should be to “take our relations to greater heights in future”. Our reward for working together would be achieving prosperous Bangladesh and India-free from hunger, poverty and deprivation, a goal that we all not only cherish for our posterity but also see very much within our grasp.
Bangladesh and India are not only friends and neighbours but also development partners. The vision and decisiveness of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister Modi will guide us in the right direction to reach new heights and bring about a real change in the quality of life of millions of our peoples.
In 2015, Bangladesh will be looking forward to resolution of two outstanding issues: the ratification of Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) by the Indian Parliament and the conclusion of the Teesta Water Sharing Agreement. Both the leaders discussed the issues of ratifying the L and the Teesta water sharing treaty in a spirit of friendship. Regarding the LBA, Both emphasised that it is just L- a matter of time – which is a very positive gesture to reach a resolution on the most vexing outstanding bilateral issue.
Regarding the Teesta water sharing issue. Modi assured of a serious pursuit of a consensus-building process that must have a positive impact on the improvement of Indo Bangladesh relations. Both Bangladesh and India now wait for huge diplomatic strides to take ties forward and embark upon a solid foundation for mutual development and security. It is expected to be a reality in 2015 as watershed developments towards deeper engagement in the areas of trade, connectivity, investment, culture and security.
(Dr. Anu Mahmud, is an economic analyst,
author and columnist.)
[Views expressed are of the author, not of the news paper.]
India and its great people have a special place in our heart, and a permanent niche in the history of Bangladesh. India’s unstinted support during our liberation struggle in 1971 will be remembered by all of us forever.
Bangladesh and India share historical linkages, common culture, values and religious ethos. We also espouse shared aspirations for a peaceful and prosperous future. A healthy, mutually beneficial Bangladesh-India relation is vital to the future of the region.
Since the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina assumed office, the relationship between our two countries has reached new heights. It has matured based on each other’s appreciation, needs and concerns. We are committed to take the relations to an even higher level.
It is often said that the destinies of the peoples of Bangladesh and India are inter-dependent and inter-twined.
The symbiotic relations between Bangladesh and India evolved from centuries of shared history, religion, culture and multitude of commonalities. The two countries are physically contiguous, share common rivers and eco-systems. Our bilateral relationship has its genesis in the history and is rooted in our struggle for independence, when India extended invaluable support during our War of Liberation in 1971. The relationship has since grown in depth and dimension. The two countries are becoming increasingly interlinked through engagements in almost all conceivable sectors of cooperation, security being among the most important components.
Bangladesh attaches highest importance to its relations with India. India also recognizes that a stable and economically robust Bangladesh is in India’s own interest. This mutual respect and understanding particularly of each other’s concerns and priorities has put the relationship on solid fundamentals. The relations have taken a quantum leap forward over the past five years. Following the assumption of office by the Awami League-led present government in Bangladesh after the January 2014 elections and also assumption of office by BJP-led NDA government in India in May 2014 after the 16th Lok Sabha elections, that excellent relationship continues to thrive. We are confident that Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Hon’ble Prime Minister Modi’s leaderships would usher in a newer era of bilateral relations building on the successes of the previous years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement “Bangabandhu created Bangladesh and his daughter Shiekh Hasina saved Bangladesh” is the epitome of his goodwill and height of demonstration of BJP government’s positive attitude towards Bangladesh and its government. The intent of Prime Minister Modi to take the relationship to ‘greater heights’ is very remarkable too. The same was expressed in first meeting between the two Prime Ministers in New York last September. All these expressions convey the unambiguous message of the Modi-government to further develop relations with Bangladesh.
The first stand-alone bilateral visit abroad by Indian External Affairs Minister Smt. SushmaSwaraj in June 2014 reiterated unequivocally our willingness to enhance further Bangladesh-India relations and further implement various programmers to enhance well-being of our two peoples. The visit have also raised the level of confidence and comfort between the two governments to engage and take the relationship forward.
Bangladesh is located at the confluence of Bhutan, Nepal and the North-eastern States of India. We are also straddling the cross-road of South and Southeast Asia. Taking advantage of this unique geographical location, Bangladesh is poised to play its natural role as the hub of connectivity. We are keen to establish connectivity for the whole region including India because this would bring about unprecedented prosperity for all the countries. For this very reason, the sub-regional cooperation on Connectivity was taken up involving Bangladesh, India, Bhutan and Nepal. Bangladesh is also actively
participating in other regional connectivity initiatives such as the BCIM Economic Corridor. All these are testimonies to our intention to establish a better connected South Asia.
Greater economic integration is the call of the day worldwide. Synergies of our two thriving economies, which are also two of the largest in the region, could be harnessed further to the benefit of not only the two countries but also for the prosperity of the entire region. The eagerness of the two governments to enhance economic ties is a very good sign and the accruing economic dividends would certainly have a more congenial impact on overall Bangladesh-India relations.
We are offering a Special Economic Zone for India and hope the Indian investors would make the best use of this enabling situation. Development cooperation is featuring more prominently in our discussions. This adds further depth, dimension and commonality of interest in the relationship.
We attach utmost importance to human security. In the present times, security is directly related to globalization due to growing inter-dependence of all aspects of our lives. At the root of threat to security lies a variety of forces that have become global in scope and more serious in their effects. The issues related to security have, therefore, become a central component of our neighbourhood policy.
Security cooperation has also been the high point of India-Bangladesh relations in the recent years. It is the principled and unequivocal position of Bangladesh not to tolerate terrorism in any form and not to allow its soil to be used against the interest of any country, particularly India.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, since her assumption of office in January 2009 continued her government’s sincere efforts in addressing the security concerns of India, which strengthened significantly the confidence of the Indian government and people. This changed mindset of the leaderships in both the countries gave the relationship a new dimension and took it to a different level. The same degree of cooperation from our side will continue. Recent incidents such as the Burdwan blast, have brought to the fore yet again the importance of security cooperation between the two countries. Bangladesh is extending all possible support to India in this regard.
Dhaka and New Delhi took significant steps to formalize security cooperation when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited New Delhi in January 2010. There the two sides signed as many as three security related agreements namely,
(1) on Mutual Legal Assistance on Criminal Matters,
(2) on Transfer of Sentenced Persons, and
(3) on Combating International Terrorism, Organized Crime, and Illicit Drug Trafficking.
The two sides also signed a Coordinated Border Management Plan (CBMP) in August 2011. Under the CBMP, the border guarding forces of the two countries are carrying out certain actions which have significantly improved the situation at the border. Subsequently, with signing of the Extradition Treaty in January 2013 all security related enabling instruments are now in place.
We have a three-tiered bilateral security mechanism at the Ministry of Home Affairs, with regular consultations at the official level, at Secretary level and finally at Ministerial level. We have nodal points for cooperation on specific issues and institutional mechanisms for regular bilateral consultations at the operational level for following up on policy level decisions.
Some sectoral ask forces such as-
(a) Task Forces for combating smuggling of Fake Currency Notes, and
(b) Task Force for curbing Human Trafficking have already started operation.
Bangladesh and India, therefore, have a very extensive framework now to deal with security related issues.
Bangladesh-India relationship is based on historical, cultural, linguistic, religious, ethnic and social ties that date back to millennia. The two countries are physically contiguous, share common rivers and eco-systems. The emotional bond between the peoples of the two countries is the strongest part of the relationship.
Bangladesh attaches highest importance to its relationship with India. India also recognizes that a stable and economically robust Bangladesh is in India’s own interest. This mutual respect and understanding of each other’s concerns has put the relationship on a solid footing. The exchange of visits between the Hon’ble Prime Ministers of our two countries in January 2010 and September 2011 enabled them to lay out a roadmap that envisaged ways to resolve pending issues and identify new areas of cooperation.
The bilateral relationship, having its genesis in the history and rooted in our struggle for independence, has grown in depth and dimension over the decades; it has evolved with time. The two countries are becoming increasingly interlinked through engagements in almost all conceivable sectors of cooperation. A careful study would depict how the relationship has contemporized from historical connections to a multi-faceted, dynamic, complex and comprehensive realm, as it stands today.
Bangladesh-India relations cover a widely divergent areas, viz. economic and commercial, border management, security, water sharing and water resource management, communication and connectivity, energy and power, delimitation of maritime and land boundaries, education and cultural, agriculture & fisheries, biodiversity and numerous other issues of mutual interest. Apart from bilateral, we have now embarked on sub-regional and regional cooperation in certain sectors. Our relationship at the multilateral level is also growing. The engagement is intense at all levels, from highest political leadership to officials down to common people.
Bangladesh is bound by the Indian states of West Bengal to the west and north, Assam to the north, Meghalaya to the north and northeast, and Tripura and Mizoram to the east. Bangladesh shares 4,156kilometres of land border with these states. There are 54 common rivers with India which flow into Bangladesh through these states. Physical contiguity with West Bengal and north-eastern states played an important role during our War of Liberation as it does even today in our bilateral relations. The relation of Bangladesh with the north-eastern states of India therefore, occupies an important space in the overall Bangladesh-India bilateral relation.
The 1971 Liberation War is the most crucial event in our national history as it brought about our independence – our most precious and sacred achievement. And Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was its architect. It was at his clarion call and under his undisputed leadership that our people joined the war of independence and emerged victorious.
Turning from history, let us now look at how our relationship with north-east India is contemporizing and ever evolving. A lot of developments have taken place between Bangladesh and north-eastern India since 1971. We are playing an important role in this region’s economic development, peace and stability.
We are enhancing our trade relations by exporting quality products at a cheaper price. India granted duty-free, quota-free access to all items except 25 tariff linats relating to tobacco and alcohal to Bangladesh. Earlier, India granted duty-free, quota-free access to 46 textile tariff lines of greatest sensitive to Bangladesh comprising Ready Made Garments during the visit of the Prime Minister of India to Bangladesh in 2011. This initiatives has opened up the 1.2 billion strong Indian market to all Bangladesh products.
There is the unique idea of ‘border haats’ along the border of Bangladesh with India’s north-eastern states. Two ‘border haats’ are already in operation. From our experience with these two haats, we can say that they are playing an important role in enhancing economic activities in the bordering areas. These haats are contributing to the prosperity of the remote villages which usually remain out of bound of normal trade routes. Also the haats are helping formalize the informal trade. Haat days provide an opportunity to the population on both sides of the border, who have familial ties, to socialize. Thus these haats are enhancing people-to-people contact which is a very strong catalyst in our overall relationship. Work for setting up two haats is going on, four more are in the pipeline.
Bangladesh has contributed to north-east’s power sector development by allowing transportation of Over Dimensional Cargo for Tripura’s Palatana Power Plant over our territory. In exchange, Indian government is agreeable to supply us with 100 MW of power from that plant. Once grid connectivity between the two countries is established for this purpose, it will open up more opportunities for power exchange. Work is on to utilize north-east’s hydro-power potential which would be economically viable, if that surplus power could be carried over to Bangladesh territory. As it is done, we would receive a share of the power transferred. We are also exploring joint venture investment in hydro-power projects and the possibility of power import/exchange through interconnection with the north-east.
To develop power & Energy Sector these steps are taken-
(1) 500 MW capacity transmission Line operational at Behrampur-Bheramara since 5th October 2013.
(2) Second line for carrying additional 500 MW will be constructed by June 2017.
(3) Link for flow of 100 MW power from Palatana Project in Tripura will be ready by December 2015.
(4) Alignment for flow of 6500-7000 Mw power from India’s North East to Central India passing through Bangladesh agree upon. Bangladesh will get additional power.
(5) India has proposed building of pipeline from Siliguri to Parbatipur, Bangladesh for transportation of diesel.
Under the aegis sub-regional cooperation, discussions are taking place in joint working groups for cooperation in the sectors of ‘water resources management & power’ and ‘connectivity’ involving Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Bhutan. India is willing to supply us their surplus petroleum production in northeast through pipelines.
While looking at connectivity from a regional and holistic perspective, as part of our plan to establish Bangladesh as a bridge between South Asia and South-East Asia and beyond, India’s north-east comes as an important link of connectivity. We are working on establishing links with north-east through reviving old rail links; opening up new Land Customs Stations/Land Ports/Immigration points or reviving old ones; revamping trade infrastructures; looking at new road connectivity or reviving old ones etc. Bridge over Feniriver, rail connectivity between Akhaura and Agartala and development of Ramgarah-Subroom, these are the small links in the bigger picture of an inter-connected region that we strive for. This message was firmly conveyed when our Hon’ble Prime Minister paid a historic visit to Agartala in January 2012. Besides, we have proposed direct bus services between Dhaka-Shillong and Dhaka-Guwahati.
Work is on by both sides to preserve the graves of the valiant freedom fighters of Bangladesh sparsed along the border of Bangladesh and north-east India or to bring back their mortal remains to Bangladesh.
We need to complement India’s endeavour to develop its north-eastern statesmuch as for our own interest. Development of north-east has an important security dimension which we should not lose sight of. It will ultimately be a win-win situation. Given the abundance of natural resources in India’s north-east, its huge economic potentials remains to be untapped. Due to our geographical contiguity, we are in the best position to do so. Their natural resources and raw materials can be imported to Bangladesh for value addition and re-exported to India or elsewhere. This is taking place but needs to be done on a much larger scale. Business communities of both the countries could think about more investment in the region in different potential sectors
The resounding and overwhelming victory of BJP in the Lok Sabha elections was demonstration of the huge degree of trust and confidence that the people of India chose to repose on BJP and Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi. This is also an apt endorsement to Mr. Modi’s political acumen, leadership and a fitting recognition of his dedicated services to people. We admire his ‘Gujarat model’ and hope that his visions and actions will lead India to greater prosperity and all-round development.
Inviting Heads of State/Government of SAARC countries to his swearing-in ceremony has been a unique and unprecedented gesture by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is reflective of the importance that he attaches to India’s immediate neighbourhood. It has also been the priority of our Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government to enhance relations with our neighbours. So, we see a great convergence between the policies of the two governments.
We are a moderate, secular, progressive and vibrant democracy with the economy founded on strong macro-economic fundamentals. Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has framed a perspective plan called ‘Vision- 2021’ to become a middle-income ‘Digital Bangladesh’ by the 50th anniversary of our independence. We are right on course aiming at ‘Vision- 2041’ when Bangladesh would become a developed nation.
Our socio-economic development exhibited extra-ordinary resilience even in the face of global financial meltdown. We have achieved food security and are on track to meet almost all the MDGs by 2015.
Our achievements in empowerment of women, gender parity, reducing maternal and child mortality, and poverty eradication have been lauded globally.
Our contributions to international peace and stability are widely acclaimed. Bangladesh is often called a ‘Model of Economic Development’.
We still believe that it is through collective development of the region that we can achieve more for our peoples. We, therefore, need to deepen and widen regional and sub-regional cooperation. After SAARC and BIMSTEC, our active role in BCIM EC initiative is an apt testimony of our approach. The launching of trilateral cooperation involving Bangladesh, India and Bhutan in which Nepal will also join eventually, would set another platform for development of the region.
From the historical inception it has transformed into a complex, multi-dimensional and comprehensive realm. As it grew, it has had significant bearing on the region and beyond. Today the world at large is also interested in our relationship. And we owe a lot to you all collectively for bringing this very unique and vast-ranging relationship to this thriving state.
As often happens between two close neighbours, the relations between Bangladesh and India have gone through ups and downs. The height of the relationship was when India extended unstinting support and assistance to our quest for self-determination. During the visit by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, our Father of the Nation, to India in early 1972, he stated that “Bangladesh and India would live in eternal friendship as brothers” since the two countries had “an identity of ideals, outlook and values and would live in amity”. This encapsulates the very essence of our relationship. Unfortunately after the tragic and brutal assassination of Bangabandhu and members of his family on 15 August 1975, the bilateral relations took a different path. The relationship again picked up and gathered momentum after the Awami League-led government assumed office under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina once in 1996 and then in 2009.
That relationship was revitalized and given a new direction by the visions of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in January 2010 and reinforced in September 2011. The Joint Communiqué of 2010, Joint Statement of 2011 and the Framework Agreement on Cooperation for Development signed in 2011 charted the future course of relations. Consequently, our relationship with India scaled new heights. It attained a new maturity based on the appreciation, respect and understanding of each other’s perspectives, concerns and priorities which has put the relationship on a solid footing.
There is no denying the fact that our mutual interests can be best served by strengthening our relations. Moreover, stability and prosperity of this region is no less significant for the wellbeing of our people. Mutual recognition of and respect for each other’s importance is the defining factor of our relationship. We are constantly venturing into newer areas of cooperation which would have appeared impractical even a decade ago. This has set precedent for other countries in the region to emulate. It also signifies the width, depth and level of confidence in our bilateral relations.
As for us, enhancing relations with our immediate neighbors is the foreign policy priority of the present government which has been echoed by the new government in India too. The recent forward movement in the bilateral relationship between Bangladesh and India also needs to be viewed in the larger regional context. Our bilateral policies with our neighbors are specially geared towards complementing and consolidating our ‘neighbourhood policy’ and ‘regional policy’ as well as the policy to work towards peace and development. We are working with some of the neighbouring countries to explore certain areas of cooperation in the sub-regional context. Once realized, I believe, it would bring prosperity to the sub-region as a whole.
There will always be issues between neighbours and, Bangladesh and India are no exceptions. But we believe that if we approach the issues with an open mind, resolution is possible however intractable they might seem. The amicable settlement of the maritime boundary delimitation is a case in point. We are hopeful of settling the other pending issues which would add a new dimension to the relations.
The emotional bond and people-to-people contacts between our two countries, having genesis in our common history and struggle, form the strongest and most treasured part of our relationship. It has a profound effect on the psyche of the people of the two countries and a huge salutary impact on the overall bilateral relations.
The relations between Bangladesh and India have withstood the test of time. Despite ups and downs in the past, the relationship has reached a point from where it can only blossom. There is no end to further strengthening of our relations. Our endeavour, as eloquently put by Prime Minister Modi in his letter to our Prime Minister, should be to “take our relations to greater heights in future”. Our reward for working together would be achieving prosperous Bangladesh and India-free from hunger, poverty and deprivation, a goal that we all not only cherish for our posterity but also see very much within our grasp.
Bangladesh and India are not only friends and neighbours but also development partners. The vision and decisiveness of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister Modi will guide us in the right direction to reach new heights and bring about a real change in the quality of life of millions of our peoples.
In 2015, Bangladesh will be looking forward to resolution of two outstanding issues: the ratification of Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) by the Indian Parliament and the conclusion of the Teesta Water Sharing Agreement. Both the leaders discussed the issues of ratifying the L and the Teesta water sharing treaty in a spirit of friendship. Regarding the LBA, Both emphasised that it is just L- a matter of time – which is a very positive gesture to reach a resolution on the most vexing outstanding bilateral issue.
Regarding the Teesta water sharing issue. Modi assured of a serious pursuit of a consensus-building process that must have a positive impact on the improvement of Indo Bangladesh relations. Both Bangladesh and India now wait for huge diplomatic strides to take ties forward and embark upon a solid foundation for mutual development and security. It is expected to be a reality in 2015 as watershed developments towards deeper engagement in the areas of trade, connectivity, investment, culture and security.
(Dr. Anu Mahmud, is an economic analyst,
author and columnist.)
[Views expressed are of the author, not of the news paper.]
