Focus on Bangladesh
New Delhi must not let ties with Dhaka dip
The India-Bangladesh relationship, over the past decade, has been the brightest spot in Indian foreign policy. After a tense 1990s and 2000s, when power alternated between the moderate Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina, and the extremist Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by Begun Khaleda Zia, and a short period of indirect army rule, the Awami League returned to power in 2009. Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh’s iconic freedom fighter and first president, Mujibur Rahman, was clear that having good relations with India, externally, was essential for Bangladesh’s progress and cracking down on Islamists, internally, was essential for democracy and peace.
This translated into unprecedented security cooperation between the two countries, when Dhaka cracked down on militants who used Bangladesh as a base to conduct activities in India, particularly the Northeast. New Delhi backed Ms Hasina in her domestic political battles.The neighbours signed a landmark boundary deal, resolving a four-decade-old problem.
But it was not all smooth. India was unable to deliver on a Teesta water-sharing seal, which undermined Ms Hasina’s political standing. But in recent years, two other significant developments have taken place. The Indian political discourse over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act-National Register of Citizens appeared, on the Dhaka street, as targeted towards Bangladesh. The second has been the enhanced Chinese influence, engagement and investment in Bangladesh — on the lines of what Beijing is doing elsewhere in the region. This has encouraged a section of the Bangladeshi opinion-making elite to see China as a counterweight to Indian influence. In this backdrop, there have been reports that Ms Hasina refused to see the Indian ambassador in Dhaka for months, despite requests. Irrespective of the accuracy of the reports — there is a view that the meeting could not be held due to the pandemic — it is clear that the relationship needs work. India must not let its domestic political discourse affect its most important relationship in its eastern neighbourhood; it must reach out to Ms Hasina and provide her with deliverables, which can enhance the domestic political space for her to pursue closer ties with India. Bangladesh has been a steadfast ally. Don’t let it slip.