Time to boost Bangladesh-India ties

On 6 December 2021, for the first time in history, Bangladesh and India celebrated the Maitree Diwas to foster bilateral ties. A day after the celebrations, Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla visited Dhaka (7-8 December 2021) followed by Indian President Ram Nath Kovind who paid a state visit to Bangladesh (15-17 December 2021). The growing importance of this important bilateral relationship was thus amply underscored.

In fact, the nature and scope of Bangladesh-India relations touches every aspect of human life. One can argue that friendship between Bangladesh and India should not be confined to the high-level bilateral visits or celebration of special days. The nature and scope of the ties impact the everyday lives of hundreds of millions of people in these two countries. Thus Bangladesh-India relations should be strengthened based on the principles of shared prosperity and responsibility.

There are many reasons for this. First, the two are continental and maritime neighbors. And neighbors play a disproportionate role in any country’s economy, security, trade and development. When European neighbors started cooperating, the fruits of cooperation benefitted tens of millions of people. Thus fostering cooperation between and among neighbors brings great dividends. One should also note the centuries-old cultural and civilizational linkages between India and East Bengal (later Bangladesh).

Second, both Bangladesh and India are rising economic powers, with complementary socio-economic development and prosperity. Notably, India receives the highest number of tourists and medical patients from Bangladesh.

Third, in the maritime domain, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean Region has become the center of competition among regional and extra-regional powers. To address growing non-traditional security challenges, including climate change, piracy and Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, cooperation among littoral states in the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean region has become an absolute necessity.

Fourth, the whole world is looking at the blue economy. And in the pursuit of the blue economy potential, Bangladesh and India needs to promote cooperation in the areas of science and technology, maritime education and research, as well as in investments and innovations both at bilateral and regional levels.

Fifth, in this post-pandemic world, there is no alternative to cooperation. India and Bangladesh can play leading roles in the promotion of global cooperation on vaccines, science and technology and agriculture.

Sixth, Bangladesh is struggling to manage the huge influx of Rohingya refugees. It is a daunting task for Bangladesh to continue its humanitarian support for more than 1.1 million refugees. In addition, there is now a serious possibility of these Rohingya refugees becoming a source of conflict and violence.

There are clear regional security implications of the Rohingya crisis—and India will also be affected by it. In addition, the role of the Rohingyas in the facilitation of drug-smuggling (particularly yaba) as well as in human trafficking in Bangladesh and India is getting harder to deny. Thus, there is no scope to identify the Rohingya crisis only as Bangladesh’s problem. Against such a backdrop, as a regional power and close friend of Bangladesh, India needs to take a proactive role in resolving the Rohingya crisis. This it should do both at the bilateral level with Myanmar, as well as at the regional and global levels.

Finally, in the post Covid-19 world politics, Bangladesh and India must cooperate on mutual and regional concerns. The issue of trade negotiations, climate and UN peacekeeping missions impact people of both these countries—and beyond. Thus, Bangladesh and India needs to play a constructive and cooperative role in global diplomacy for a better, fairer, and more humane world.

In the 21st-century, Bangladesh-India partnership needs to be promoted based on shared peace, progress and prosperity. At the bilateral level, India should not adopt policies like the National Register for Citizens that negatively impact bilateral ties. India should also take the lead in resolving the long-standing water-sharing issue. Similarly, in global diplomacy, shared responsibility for a sustainable planet should guide Bangladesh-India partnership.

The author is a research fellow at the Center for Bangladesh and Global Affairs [email protected]