The ratification of the Land Boundary Agreement of 1974 on May 7 was warmly welcomed across the political divide both in India and in Bangladesh. The Lok Sabha showed rare unanimity in passing the 119th Amendment to the Indian Constitution Bill to settle its 41-year-old border dispute with Bangladesh.
The implementation of the LBA will enable the two countries to exchange control of land in each other’s territory, known as enclaves or Chitmahal. The bill will also help in resolving the long-standing problem of the land in adverse possession.
Bangladesh and India share a 4,096km international border, which is the fifth-longest land border in the world. From 1947 to the present day, the unresolved problem of enclaves and adverse possession has been a source of constant friction.
It was hoped that the Indira-Mujib LBA in 1974 would settle both these problems, but for a variety of reasons, it has taken four decades to resolve all the pending issues and for the Indian parliament to finally ratify the LBA.
There is certainly a sense of hope, optimism, and belief in Bangladesh today that the ratification of the LBA will open up a new era in Bangladesh-India relations. The people of Bangladesh are now looking forward to not only the visit of the Indian cricket team to Bangladesh in June, but also to the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The implementation of the LBA is expected to help in improving the quality of life of 51,549 people who have been living in misery in the enclaves, deprived of their basic human rights.
For all practical purposes they have been stateless people, living a hand to mouth existence; denied access to schools and hospitals and other basic services. There are 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh and 51 Bangladeshi enclaves inside India. All the inhabitants can now look forward to a national identity and enjoying the same benefits and services as their neighbours living outside the enclaves.
One of the major irritants in the bilateral relations between the two countries has been the problem of border management. Notwithstanding the presence of a sizeable border security force on both sides, as well as over 3,000 kilometers of barbed wire fencing on the Indian side, the number of persons killed on the border -- for the most part Bangladeshis -- is amongst the highest in the world.
The Indo-Bangladesh border is also notorious for the billions of dollars of goods smuggled across the border, as well as trafficking in arms, drugs, and people. It is now the expectation of people on both sides of the border that one very important outcome of the LBA will be improved border management based on co-operation, increased border trade, and the transformation of the border into a peaceful one, free of any border killings.
The ratification of the LBA and the likelihood of a visit by Mr Modi in the very near future provides an opportunity for both countries to widen and strengthen their co-operation across the board.
During the past six years, the security cooperation between the two countries can be described as excellent. But there is room for further improvement. Equally impressive has been the wide-ranging cooperation in the energy sector. Trade has expanded, as have Indian investments in Bangladesh. Bangladesh today enjoys duty-free access to the Indian market.
However, in order to see a meaningful expansion in Bangladesh’s exports to India, some non-tariff barriers need to be removed. Both countries need to give special attention to improving road, rail, and river connectivity in the entire sub-region.
In particular, there is a need to improve the physical infrastructure in Bangladesh and initiate action in the construction of a deep sea port. This deep sea port could be of immense benefit to the Indian north-east, Nepal, Bhutan and, of course, Bangladesh.
Perhaps the most difficult problem in the bilateral relationship is the issue of the sharing of the waters of the 54 rivers that the two countries share. It is important for Mr Modi to implement the framework agreement signed during the visit of the then Indian Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, to Bangladesh in September, 2011, for co-operation between India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan. One key feature of this cooperation should be in the field of joint-harnessing of the water resources shared by these four countries.
India and Bangladesh both suffer from a “perception problem.” In Bangladesh, India is viewed with suspicion because of its geostrategic interests, its overwhelming economic and military strength, its apparent reluctance to resolve longstanding problems like the LBA, and the sharing of the waters of the Teesta.
Indians, on the other hand, tend to view Bangladesh as a country where extremist groups are gaining in strength, where there is widespread poverty triggering illegal immigration into India.
There is little awareness in India of the enormous progress and rapid growth that has taken place in Bangladesh; of the excellent social indicators or that Bangladesh has achieved self-sufficiency in food.
Nor is there either awareness or recognition of the fact that Bangladesh today directly and indirectly contributes annually well over $20bn to the Indian economy. The implementation of the LBA between India and Bangladesh is expected to lessen this gap in perception and remove some of the widespread scepticism that exists in the mind of the public about a durable long-term relationship.
Although it has taken a year, the ratification of the LBA can now be viewed as a testament to Mr Modi’s “neighborhood first” policy. But it is important to understand that the development of a meaningful relationship built on mutual trust and benefit will require serious and prolonged interaction at all levels between the two countries.
There is a need for regular summit-level meetings to review implementation of projects and agreements; there is a need for greater people-to-people contact, this means removing the multiple headaches faced by Bangladeshis in obtaining an Indian visa; there is a need for a vastly expanded public diplomacy and cultural exchange programs on both sides; an effective communication strategy is essential; improving connectivity, expanding trade, and investment can take Bangladesh from its current 6% growth rate to 8-10% in the next two to four years.
The LBA provides an excellent opportunity to take Indo-Bangladesh relations to a new level.