The Hindu : Call off the war of words

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 03, 2002

Opinion

Opinion - Editorials

Call off the war of words

WHETHER BANGLADESH HAS been providing sanctuary for elements of the Al-Qaeda or allowing Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence to freely carry out anti-India activities from its soil, and whether or not India's intelligence services possess irrefutable evidence of the same, the pertinent question is whether senior members of the Union Cabinet displayed wisdom in dwelling extensively on this matter at this point in time. With India's relations with its western neighbour having hardly recovered from the intense hostility that characterised it over the last one year, the occasion was hardly opportune for inserting strain into relations with the neighbour to the east. To have dwelt in detail on these issues at and about the time when Sheikh Hasina, the foremost opposition leader in Bangladesh, was visiting India, was particularly rash since the Government in Dhaka was certainly going to react vehemently — as it has indeed done. It does not serve India's interest to get sucked into the quagmire of Bangladesh politics by becoming the issue which will determine the fortunes of political formations in that country that are extremely antagonistic towards each other. The airing of these views in conjunction with Sheikh Hasina's visit reinforces the belief of the ruling coalition in Bangladesh that India is constantly intervening in its internal affairs and that the opposition Awami League is the instrument through which it does so. The External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, at least had the excuse that his remarks were made in response to a question in Parliament but the Deputy Prime Minister, L. K. Advani, and the Defence Minister, George Fernandes, should have given more thought to the consequences of their outspokenness.

It may well be that New Delhi believes that it was the Government of Khaleda Zia that first broke the unwritten compact, which has held good for over a decade, that served as the platform on which the two countries strove to build a happier co-existence. As per this compact, Bangladesh was to ensure that no anti-India activity would be carried out from its soil and New Delhi would in turn refrain from intervening in that country's internal affairs and go more than half way in resolving long-standing bilateral problems. Sources free from South Asian influences have drawn attention to the presence of Al-Qaeda elements or their sympathisers in many parts of Bangladesh and there is little reason to believe that the ISI station in Dhaka would be less active than outposts elsewhere. New Delhi may also have good reason to feel that Begum Khaleda's Government has not demonstrated sufficient willingness to cooperate on other matters of concern. But even if the comments emanating from the Union Cabinet were intended to jolt the Bangladesh Government into a more companionable frame of mind, it is time to call off this war of words. India has more stakes in a healthy relation with Bangladesh than just the benefits of greater trade or easier transit to the States of the Northeast or access to a large pool of energy resources. If India can persuade Bangladesh to get over its aversion to the "big brother" and if the two countries can forge a healthy partnership, in time it would send an unmistakable message to the people of Pakistan, other wary neighbours and the Muslim world as well.

While refuting the allegations levelled by New Delhi — and not in very temperate language at that — the Bangladesh Government has reserved most of its ire for Sheikh Hasina. At the same time, Dhaka has offered to investigate the charges if hard evidence is provided to it. Such an approach does offer scope for a renewed effort by the two Governments to remove the irritants that disturb their relationship. At the same time, the Bangladesh Government would do itself a world of good if it were to more closely monitor religious radicals in the country since the European Union and others too have expressed their worries on the score.

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