Its rather strange that two countries like Bangladesh and India aren’t close enough in terms of economic, political, diplomatic and connectivity between people in this age of regional integrity and globalization. It’s strange because there is hardly any geographic barriers between large parts of India (northern, eastern and north east) and Bangladesh. Both India and Bangladesh are part of the same flood plains of the Ganges and Brahmaputra with intense cultural, linguistic and biological similarities – with only religion of the majority communities in both the countries being the only deviation. In the 21st century, the latter isn’t supposed to matter much. Continental neighbours – the ASEAN nations - have gone a long way with similar dissimilarities, but based on other similarities.
Bangladesh is unmistakably the easiest gateway to the sea for the Indian north east and even a better alternative to Bhutan and Nepal. A glance at the map reveals how geographically isolated the Indian north east is from India proper, and their communication with the latter has to take a long and treacherous detour through the narrow Shiliguri corridor. Transit through Bangladesh is imperative for ease of communication and trading.
Bangladeshis, on the other hand, need easy access to India for various purposes like trade, tourism, affordable medical treatment, education and training etc. There is also the issue of Bangladeshi Muslim economic migrants to India. It’s a complex issue which should be subject to indepth studies and surveys and consideration from a universal human rights standpoint. There are indications of various causal links to this migration, of whatever degree, including unilateral withdrawal of common river water by India for decades in the past.
But, looking to the future, there are more prospects which can neutralize the discord and set the ground for advanced cooperation. There can be give-and-take and other measures of mutual benefits like investment, access to markets, preferential treatment, power/ energy supply sharing etc. The potentials are immense but their realization is, if not absent, slow.
The prime impediment in the path of greater cooperation is domestic politics in both the countries. A small neighbour mentality and uninformed anti-India notions in Bangladeshi politics have been installed since 1975 by the illegitimate usurpers of political power and the counter revolutionary forces that opposed Bangladesh’s liberation in 1971. Despite tries by the liberals, Bangladesh is finding it difficult to get out of this.
In India too, right wing anti-Bangladesh forces are on the rise in the north east, despite Prime Minister Modi’s post election efforts to resolve outstanding issues with Bangladesh, which saw considerable success under India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy. Ironically, many north eastern local leaders and affiliates of Modi’s own BJP party have been consistent anti-Bangladesh propagandists.
To move forward, it’s imperative for the political leadership, civil society and media to understand facts, realities and prospects; not to twist those for mean, short term purposes and also educate the population about the benefit and normality of sub-regional harmony for a sustained period of time, so as to create good and lasting political and cultural ethos for this part of South Asia.
Sarwar Jahan Chowdhury is a regular contributor to the Dhaka Tribune
