Now that the initial dust of wide-ranging speculations in the media and among the intelligentsia and policy-makers over the sudden unannounced and unscheduled two-day visit of Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla -- with a message to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- has settled down, it is time we took a fresh look at the real intent and purpose behind the visit.
The Indian High and the visiting Foreign secretary said the visit was to boost bilateral relations and improve cooperation with Bangladesh with relation to the Covid-19 vaccine founded by Oxford Jenin institute -- currently under clinical trials by two hospitals in Mumbai. But if the recent spate of indian press reports and comments are any indication, the visit was prompted by India’s concern.
China’s “aggressive economic overtures and inroads” into Bangladesh spearheaded by massive investments in Chinese projects, together with what India described as a sign of “drift towards its foe Pakistan” as manifested by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s call to PM Sheikh Hasina.
Indian press reports indicate that India’s policy-making circles were rattled by the recent announcement of a Chinese offer of $1 billion to fund a Chinese project to level the flow of the Teesta river during the dry season -- damaging to India’s interest and announcement of tariff-free access to 97% of Bangladeshi products.
This, besides a massive investment of $38bn in Chinese infrastructure projects in Bangladesh -- described as charity to Bangladesh by Ananda Bazar Patrika much to the chagrin of Bangladesh -- along with an offer of a base for Chinese submarines in Bangladesh, and as much as handing over construction of the airport terminal in Sylhet further caused unease and suspicion in policy circles in India.
The Indian media pointed out the immediate provocation for the visit was some recent comments by the foreign minister in two seperate forums that China-Bangladesh economic ties were indissoluble, adding in the context of Pakistan to the old adage that there is no permanent friend or foe in diplomacy.
Such remarks, at a time when India was engaged in border clashes and skirmishes over its claim to territory in the Ladakh region, raised alarm and suspicion in India. However, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen simultaneously reiterated that Bangladesh’s relationship with India was “rock solid and forged in blood.”
However, according to Indian press reports, after the visit was over, the Indian foreign secretary returned to New Delhi, assuaged of unfounded misgivings and suspicion about Bangladesh and fully reassured of continued unimpaired friendly relation with Bangladesh, its time-tested and trusted traditional ally.
As far as Bangladesh’s reaction to the visit, the Bangladesh foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen minced no words when he said after his talks with his counterpart that vaccine trials were being explored in many countries including India, the US, China, and Russia, and Bangladesh kept its options open to choose the best and right decision as and when available.
He also expressed Bangladesh’s concern about the continued killing of innocent Bangladeshis along the border by the BSF. He said Bangladesh extended support to India’s non-permanent membership of India in the UN Security Council (UNSC) and expected Indian support in the council on the Rohingya issue.
Abdul Hannan is a former diplomat.