India-Bangladesh relations

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During the partition of India after independence in 1947, the Bengal region was divided into two territories: East Bengal (present-day Bangladesh) and West Bengal. East Bengal was made a part of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan due its overwhelmingly large Muslim population (then more than 85%). In 1955, the government of Pakistan changed its name from East Bengal to East Pakistan.

However confrontations between East and West Pakistan started soon after. In 1948, Jinnah declared that only Urdu would the official language of the entire nation while more than 95% of the population in East Pakistan spoke Bengali. When protests broke out in East Pakistan on February 21, 1952, Pakistani police fired on the protestors, killing hundreds of people. East Pakistan was also given an inferior treatment by the federal government of Pakistan (situated in West Pakistan) and small funds were allocated for the development of the region, despite of it being significant contributor in the revenue generation. Therefore, a separatist movement started to grow in present day Bangladesh. When in 1970 elections, the main separatist party, the Awami League, headed by Mujibur Rehman won 167 of the 169 seats and got the right to form the government, the President of Pakistan under Yahya Khan refused to recognize the elections and arrested Mujibur Rehman. This led to widespread protests in East Pakistan and in 1971, the Bangladesh Liberation War started.

India under then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi fully supported the cause of the Bangladeshis and its troops and equipment were used to fight the Pakistani forces. India also provided support and training to the main Bangladeshi guerilla force, the Mukti Bahini. Finally, on 26 March 1971, Bangladesh emerged as an independent state. Since then, there have been several issues of agreement as well as of contention between two India and Bangladesh.

[edit] Areas of agreement

India, because of its central role in the independence of Bangladesh initially had very cordial relations with the country. India was also the first country to recognize Bangladesh as an independent nation. It also had a sense of obligation and thankfulness towards India^{[citation needed]}.Both India and Bangladesh acknowledge the genocide of Bengalis perpetrated by Pakistan in the 1971 Bangladesh atrocities.
Moreover, Bangladesh was faced with an economic crisis after independence and its population was 8th largest in the world at that time. India gave large amounts of aid to Bangaldesh and thousands of Bangladeshi refugees immigrated to India.^{[citation needed]}
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s first foreign visit as Prime Minister was to India and it was then decided Indo-Bangladesh relations would be guided by principles of democracy, socialism, nonalignment and opposition to colonialism and racism. Indira Gandhi too visited Bangladesh in 1972 and assured that India would never interfere in the internal affairs of the country.
In 1972, both the countries signed a 'Treaty of Friendship and Peace'. An Indo-Bangladesh Trade Pact was also signed.

[edit] Areas of dispute

A major bone of contention has been the construction of the Farakkha Barrage by India to increase water supply in the Hoogli river. Bangladesh contends that it does not receive a fair share of the Ganga waters.
There have also been disputes regarding the transfer of Teen Bigha Corridor to Bangladesh. It is an area of Bangladesh in West Bengal which is surrounded by Indian land. This area is very near to Bangladesh and thus India leased three bigha land to Bangladesh to connect this land with mainland Bangladesh. There is ongoing dispute regarding use of this land by anti-India forces and illegal immigrants to cross over into India which Bangladesh vehemently denies. This Corridor was formally transferred to Bangladesh on 26 June 1992.
Another issue which continues to be a major part of Indian politics is the issue of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in India, especially in nearby states like West Bengal, Assam and Tripura. India allege that continued illegal immigration changed in the border area demography of India resulting in ethnic imbalance, electoral irregularity and loss of employment opportunities.
The rise of Islamic fundamentalist forces in Pakistan and use of these forces by Inter-Services Intelligence to carry out anti-India activates has also aggravated India. India complains that ISI is using Bangladesh to carry out terrorists operations in India and blames Bangladeshi government of not doing enough to prevent such activities. .