Md. Al-Amin

The Honeymoon period of Bangladesh and Indian relations came to an end on 5th August 2024 when Ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh was ousted and fled away to India whereas a new regime came onto the throne after the massive uprising in Bangladesh. Since the regime change in Bangladesh, the bilateral relations regarding all aspects diplomatically, economically, and politically have deteriorated. Neither of the sides came upfront to mitigate the problems which are going on. As a result, the relations have been declining.

India's illegal internal interference on Bangladesh's different issues, giving unethical asylum of Sheikh Hasina, Yellow Journalism of Indian media, illegal push in agenda of BSF, border encroachment on Bangladesh's Border, attack on Bangladesh Assistant High Commission of Agartala and Deputy High Commission on Kolkata, Impose trade barriers on Bangladeshi products, Cancelled Transhipment facilities of Bangladesh, Cancelled Visa for Bangladeshi citizens, No Bangladeshi allowed to get medical treatment from India along with not getting Hotel-Motels services and Communal disharmony are the pivot issues behind the avalanche of Bangladesh-India relations. On the Bangladeshi side, the Pro-Indian regime change in Bangladesh, the anti-Indian movement, melting relations with Pakistan and growing engagement with China are the reasons why the bilateral relations between two trusted neighbors have been getting worse.

As both of the countries share common borders from three sides, No one can ignore each other. The proverb goes right away “You can not change your neighbors”. In this regard, Now both countries are trying to uproot the shackles and melting relations like before. Recently, from the Bangladeshi side, the ambassador Mr. Riaz Hamidullah has met with Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of Kolkata, trying to rebuild the fragile relations near the border region. Even a stance from the Indian side, An initiation of reconstructing relations with Bangladesh has been conducted by Members of India’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs which conveyed several meetings to find pathways and understanding about the bad relations. “All Members of Parliament displayed pathos and understanding of the issues between India and Bangladesh and there was a real desire among the MPs to mend the bilateral ties and take things forward,” The Hindu reports.

This is the first time India has focused on the current state of Dhaka-Delhi ties and how India can restore its position. It is nicely overwhelmed by the Bangladeshi side. As the tit-for-tat economic restrictions and political tensions between Dhaka and Delhi deepened the relations into a hole might have gotten the upper hand. Under Article 2 of the United Nations charter, Each of the States needs to show respect for sovereignty and not interfere with the internal issues of the other state whether it is big or small. Following this article, India seriously can restore their relations with Dhaka and will be welcomed by Dhaka undoubtedly. As the committee members said, India does not assume Bangladesh is a hostile neighbor like Pakistan which upholds the intention of them how eager to restore the relations. Historically, Bangladesh has been a trusted neighbor of India. So, the illegal penetration of their citizens into Bangladesh should have been stopped first so that they could show respect for Bangladesh's sovereignty. In return, they can get their long-lasting neighbor who needs them more for the strategic position. As a member of the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) if India sees Bangladesh not as a big brother but rather treats them as a peaceful neighbor then all the diplomatic channels can play a tremendous role in building the faith again.

Again West Bengal of India has shared a common culture with Bangladesh which connects both Dhaka and Kolkata through para diplomacy. Again people-to-people ties lay the foundation of public diplomacy which is a very effective strategy to combat the hype of tensions. Amid all of the talks, the channel of diplomacy is the main actor that can normalize the situation through pros and cons discussion. As both of the members are partners of the BCIM economic corridor, they need each other. So, India should facilitate Bangladesh in economic perspectives by which both of them can aggregate their demand fulfilled. Every year probably 2.5m Bangladeshi enter India to get medical services, which is now down to 1m since August 2024. It has happened due to visa cuts for Bangladeshi citizens by the Indian government. Due to the visa complexities of India, Bangladeshis are now moving towards Thailand and other countries which is certainly not bringing any good things for India. The trade borders have been closed several times which tempted them more than Bangladesh. Because China and Pakistan are now engaged with Bangladesh more through economic activities. The Hindu says, due to not exporting onions to Bangladesh, the farmers of Madhya Pradesh are being crippled by their interest which turns into a farmer movement in that region. In that case, India should maintain their politicians, their unbridled speech and threats of encroachment are making the situation rough.

India can mitigate the relations by not asserting any concern for Bangladeshi minorities. Muslims are politically persecuted more there rather than Hindus are much safer to live in Bangladesh. So, taking necessary steps not to circulate propaganda and yellow journalism might have worked to restore the relations. Briefly, India can connect Dhaka in their favor as they might know the relations do not exist eternity with any political parties but rather the countries. Engagement of Bangladesh with China, and Pakistan through a Joint Working Group might have been another threat to India. So they try to resurface the relation by making certain areas of conversation through a Standing Parliament Committee member that is highly appreciated regarding present situations of Bangladesh-India context.

The writer is an educator. He completed his post-graduation from the Department of International Relations at Rajshahi University, Bangladesh. His research interests are Diplomacy, Foreign policy, Border conflicts, and Security issues.