Bangladesh–India relations

Bangladesh and India are part of the Indian Subcontinent and have had a long common cultural, economic and political history. The cultures of the two countries are similar; in particular Bangladesh and India's states West Bengal and Tripura are all Bengali-speaking. However, since the partition of India in 1947, Bangladesh (formerly East Bengal and East Pakistan) became a part of Pakistan. Following the bloody Liberation War of 1971, Bangladesh gained its independence and established relations with India. The political relationship between India and Bangladesh has passed through cycles of hiccups. The relationship typically becomes favourable for Bangladesh during periods of Awami League government.^[1] Relations have improved significantly, after Bangladesh's clampdown on anti-Indian groups on its soil, such as the United Liberation Front of Assam, Bangladesh's Prime Minister's Sheikh Hasina's state visit to India in January 2010, and continued dialogue over the controversial Farakka Barrage.

Historical background

During the Partition of India after independence in 1947, the Bengal region was divided into two: East Bengal (present-day Bangladesh) and West Bengal. East Bengal was made a part of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan due to the fact that both regions had an overwhelmingly large Muslim population, more than 86%. In 1955, the government of Pakistan changed its name from East Bengal to East Pakistan.

There were some confrontations between the two regions though. Firstly, in 1948, Muhammad Ali Jinnah declared that Urdu would be the sole official language of the entire nation, though more than 95% of the East Bengali population spoke Bengali. And when protests broke out in Bangladesh on February 21, 1952, Pakistani police fired on the protesters, killing hundreds. Secondly, East Bengal/East Pakistan was allotted only a small amount of revenue for its development out of the Pakistani national budget. Therefore, a separatist movement started to grow in the estranged province. When the main separatist party the Awami League, headed by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won 167 of 169 seats up for grabs in the 1970 elections and got the right to form the government, the Pakistan president under Yahya Khan refused to recognize the election results and arrested Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. This led to widespread protests in East Pakistan and in 1971, the Liberation War, followed by the declaration (by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 7 March 1971) of the independent state of Bangladesh.

India under Indira Gandhi fully supported the cause of the Bangladeshis and its troops and equipment were used to fight the Pakistani forces. The Indian Army also gave full support to the main Bangladeshi guerrilla 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 dispute.

Cultural ties

See also Two-Nation Theory

Both Bangladesh and the Republic of India are part of the Indian subcontinent and have had a long common cultural, economic and political history. The cultures of the two countries are similar. The two Indian states of West Bengal and Tripura speak the language that is also spoken in Bangladesh, Bengali. In 1947, India became independent from the British India of the United Kingdom and was split into Pakistan and what is now the Republic of India. At that time, Bangladesh was known as East Pakistan, before simply as East Bengal. In 1971, there was a war which ended with East Pakistan becoming independent (and renaming itself to the People's Republic of Bangladesh). In this war, Indian troops fought together with East Pakistani ones, against West Pakistan. Today, West Pakistan is called Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

To most outsiders, the people of the two countries are indistinguishable. The cultures of the two countries are similar; in particular India's West Bengal and Tripura states and Bangladesh are both Bengali-speaking. Tripura is called and was known as the Chittagonian Plains of Bengal: since the Sylhet District was once part of the Chittagong Division, during Pakistani rule. Also the people of Tripurans formed an enclave of the eastern side of the country, so Bangladesh itself forms an enclave of eastern side of Northeast India completely surrounded on three sides except for the south-eastern corner. According to Bangla fundamentalists: 'A Bengali Hindu is culturally closer to a Bangladeshi Muslim, yet they are supposed to be "foreigners" to each other' in that they believe in Hindu-Muslim Bhai Bhai, which meant that a Bangladeshi Hindu or a Muslims are brothers because of the same nationality. To this end many foresee the eventual unification of Bangladesh and the Republic of India in their entirety. Both countries have diverse populations with both strong Hindu-Muslim minorities of Bengali origin. Many scholars point to the fact that stability in one country is directly tied to events in the other. Both countries in fact, already share strong trade, economic, cultural, linguistic, religious, political and historical ties. They have been united in the past on several different occasions such as the Gupta Empire. The people of East Bengal and in particular other Indian traders from North-east India and West Bengal provinces and scholars regularly travelled to the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers in ancient times and plied their trade. Until 1947 after a period of 24 yrs the Pakistani Invasion in 1971 led to isolation, wealthy Hindus would live in Dhaka and the surrounding areas of the borderlands in the war and post-war to escape Islamabad's harsh massacres. Further, many Hindu Bengalis and other Indians have established themselves in Bangladesh, with Bengali signs on temples having become a common sight in Dhaka. Scholars also point out that its not a matter of if the two countries unite, but rather of when they unite as the two countries histories seem inextricably intertwined. Such a union, would prove beneficial in many aspects.

Areas of contention

1. A major area of contention has been the construction and operation of the Farakka Barrage by India to increase water supply in the river Hoogly. Bangladesh insists that it does not receive a fair share of the Ganges waters during the drier seasons, and gets flooded during the monsoons when India releases excess waters. See also Sharing of Ganges Waters.
2. There have also been disputes regarding the transfer of Teen Bigha Corridor to Bangladesh. Part of Bangladesh is surrounded by the Indian state of West Bengal. On 26 June 1992, India leased three bigha land to Bangladesh to connect this enclave with mainland Bangladesh. There was dispute regarding the indefinite nature of the lease. The dispute was resolved by an mutual agreement between India and Bangladesh in 2011.^[2]
3. Terrorist activities carried out by outfits based in both countries, like Banga Sena and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami.^[3][4] Recently India and Bangladesh had agreed jointly to fight terrorism.^[5]
4. Bangladesh has consistently denied India transit facility to the landlocked North Eastern Regions of India. Although India has a narrow land link to this North eastern region, which is famously known as "India's Chicken Neck"^[6]
5. Illegal Bangladeshi immigration into India.^[7] The border is porous and migrants are able to cross illegally, though sometimes only in return for financial or other incentives to border security personnel.^[7] Bangladeshi officials have denied the existence of Bangladeshis living in India and those illegal migrants found are described as having been trafficked.^[7] This has considerable repercussions for those involved, as they are stigmatised for having been involved in prostitution, whether or not this has actually been the case. Cross border migrants are also at far higher risk of HIV/Aids infection.^[7]
6. Continuous border killing of Indian and Bangladeshi people, aiding illegal immigrants, helping in armed decoity, fake money transfer and illegal drug trades by both Indian and Bangladeshi people are the major problems between Bangladesh and India.^[8]
7. Both Bangladesh and India make claims over the same seawater at the Bay of Bengal.^[9][10]
8. There was a minor glitch in their relation when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh accidentally mentioned that 25% of Bangladeshis are anti indian, during an informal press meet.^[11]

Recent Developments

In September 2011, the two countries signed a major accord on border demarcation to end the 4-decade old disputes over boundaries. India also granted 24-hour access to Bangladeshi citizens in the Tin Bigha Corridor. The agreement included exchange of adversely held enclaves, involving 51,000 people spread over 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh and 51 Bangladesh enclaves in India. The total land involved is reportedly 7000 acres.^[12]

On 9 October 2011, Indian and Bangladeshi armies participated in Sampriti-II (Unity-II), a 14 day long Joint military exercise at Sylhet to increase synergy between their forces.^{[13] [14]}

References

See also

• Foreign relations of Bangladesh
• Foreign relations of India
• Indo-Bangladeshi barrier
• Indo-Bangladesh border
• Tripura Division
• Mansi Mehrotra, Security Challenge in India-Bangladesh Relations