Defence pact on the cards during Hasina’s India visit

TRADE India eyes comprehensive pact that encompasses training, sale of military hardware

NEWDELHI: With the Teesta watersharing pact going off track, India and Bangladesh are in discussions to ink a comprehensive defence agreement during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India in April.

Though talks on the contours of the pact are still on, India is eying a comprehensive defence pact that encompasses training, sale of military hardware and military-to-military cooperation. India is also willing to commit up to $500 million in line of credit for military cooperation with Dhaka.

If the pact comes through, this would be India’s highest ever credit line for defence cooperation. For years, India has not been keen on giving line of credit for defence hardware purchases. However, the policy seems to be changing slowly but steadily.

For India, what lends urgency to wrap up a comprehensive pact is Dhaka’s growing proximity with China on defence matters.

Sources said “discussions for a defence pact are progressing and yet to reach a final shape.”

In November last year, Bangladesh purchased two submarines from China, much to the discomfiture of India. China remains Bangladesh’s biggest supplier of military hardware.

During Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Dhaka last year, two countries signed pacts amounting to $25 billion for investments in Bangladesh.

But for Bangladesh Prime Minister Hasina, going for another major pact, is not an easy proposition.

The pro-India leader fights criticism that she is giving too much to India and getting too little in return. Over the years, Hasina walked the extra mile in addressing India’s concerns over insurgency and connectivity. However, New Delhi is unable to sign the much-awaited Teesta water-sharing pact. Bangladesh and India share 54 rivers but none evokes as much passion as Teesta in Bangladesh.

Water being a state subject, the Centre cannot hope to conclude a deal on sharing Teesta water without getting West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on board. Negotiations on Teesta habe been on for the past 18 years.

As per an agreement of 2011, which was not signed due to opposition from Banerjee, the two sides agreed to share the river’s water on a 50:50 basis , the same as the 1996 Ganges watersharing pact between the neighbours. Of late, Dhaka is complaining that the flow of Teesta is thinning alarmingly.

It says that the average flow of Teesta in the last 10 days of March, considered a lean season, was 315 cusecs in 2015 compared to 550 cusecs during same period in 2014.

The lack of water is an issue even West Bengal raises, while objecting to the water-sharing pact.