Sitaram Sharma, chairman of an Indian government-sponsored think tank, yesterday claimed that anti-Indian feelings had existed in Bangladesh, especially in the military circles, to some extent since the Liberation War.
“A country needs an external foe, like many others. After 1971, India replaced West Pakistan in that role. There is a natural tendency to see an Indian hand behind all disturbing events,” he said at an international seminar in the capital.
He led the delegation from the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies (MAKAIAS) that came to Dhaka to take part in the seminar.
Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies organised the seminar titled “Contemporary Thoughts on Bangladesh-India Relations: Challenges and Opportunities.”
Sharma said: “India prefers democratic governments because it considers them less likely to be anti-Indian.”
In response, former ambassador Mohsin Ali Khan said Bangladeshis did not have anti-Indian feelings, but there were “frustration and resentment” as Dhaka did not receive its due deliverables from New Delhi.
He said even the main opposition party BNP publicly said they wanted to have a good relationship with India.
Former foreign secretary Farooq Sobhan said the issue of illegal immigration was constantly voiced by India when he was high commissioner to New Delhi from 1992 to 1995.
“The Indian government, experts and others claimed that there were 20 million illegal immigrants living in India,” he said. “Please tell us who they are where they are.”
Some people moved to India in 1947, 1971 and 1975, he said, asking: “But what is the definition of illegal immigrants?”
About 80 million Bangla-speaking people live in West Bengal and a good number of Bangla-speaking people in different parts of India.
“Are they from West Bengal or are they from Bangladesh – how do we establish that?” the former foreign secretary questioned.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his election campaign raised the issue of illegal immigration and on several occasions threatened to send the illegal immigrants back to Bangladesh after he assumed power on May 26.
Farooq said he saw no reason why there should be visa between the two countries.
“Yes, there may be insurgents and terrorists, but do these people line up and take visas before they cross over to engage in acts of terrorism?” he added.
About North-east India, he said: “India’s north-east side has no future without economic integration with Bangladesh.”
In the programme, former ambassador Muhammad Zamir said under international law, India cannot withdraw water from any common river.
India has long been withdrawing water for irrigation and other purposes, depriving Bangladesh of its due share of water of the common rivers, he said.
Bangladesh has 54 common rivers and 52 of them are with India.
About border management, he said it is a violation of international humanitarian law to kill anybody at the border.
