The Hindu : Indo-Bangla ties: arresting the slide

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 29, 2003

Opinion

Opinion - News Analysis

Indo-Bangla ties: arresting the slide

By C. Raja Mohan

NEW DELHI April 28. If India is looking east beyond the subcontinent in search of economic and political opportunities, Bangladesh is doing the same. Looking past each other has become the dominant metaphor for the recent slide in Indo-Bangla relations.

The consultations between the two foreign offices this week in Dhaka should hopefully explore ways to arrest the downward trend in bilateral relations and lay the groundwork for a productive engagement. The Foreign Secretary, Kanwal Sibal, will have an opportunity to meet the top leaders of the Government in Dhaka and his talks are expected to cover the full range of bilateral issues — from concerns on security and illegal immigration to trade.

In recent months, Bangladesh has launched a diplomatic offensive to expand its relations with other Asian countries, including China and deepen trade and transport links in the region. About two years after taking charge of the nation, the Bangladesh Prime Minister, Khaleda Zia, has not found it convenient to visit India. This year alone she had travelled to Beijing, Bangkok and Yangon.

Mr. Sibal would surely convey the message that India is looking forward to Begum Zia's visit at the earliest. Equally important is the signal from New Delhi that India is prepared to move the stalled relationship forward.

The tensions and irritations of the recent past might have often raised the thought in both capitals that the two nations can look beyond each other, in the name of diversifying their economic and political relations. Diversification of links need not necessarily be seen as a negative development. It could lead over a period of time to wider regional integration between the subcontinent and eastern Asia. But the danger lies in seeing diversification as a substitute for trade and political cooperation between New Delhi and Dhaka.

India and Bangladesh are too important to each other for either side to pretend that deliberate neglect, either benign or malign, is a policy option. For all practical purposes, India is the only physical neighbour of Bangladesh, which has a small border with Myanmar. For India on the other hand, Bangladesh is one of its biggest markets and has the potential to alter the political and security dynamics in eastern India.

Whatever the grievances the two sides have nursed against the other, there is no alternative to a patient engagement aimed at resolving all outstanding issues. India has repeatedly asserted that it is willing to go more than half the distance in sorting out various problems if Bangladesh shows sensitivity to India's security concerns on cross-border terrorism and illegal immigration.

India is looking for some political gestures from Bangladesh on these issues which will make it easier for it to move quickly on a range of measures for bilateral cooperation. The difficult questions relating to border management are likely to figure in Mr. Sibal's talks. They will also be taken up this week in the meetings in Dhaka between the chiefs of the Border Security Force and Bangladesh Rifles.

Bangladesh has a strong grouse that despite a massive trade deficit in India's favour, New Delhi is reluctant to offer economic concessions, in particular duty free access to the Indian market. A few weeks ago, India formally offered to negotiate a free trade treaty with Bangladesh. Mr. Sibal is expected to brief his hosts in detail on the Indian experience with a similar arrangement with Sri Lanka that has worked so well for New Delhi and Colombo.

India recognises that element of asymmetry in the provisions of the FTA in favour of Sri Lanka would be extended to the proposed agreement with Bangladesh. Dhaka argues that being less developed than Sri Lanka it needs a lot more concessions.

The important thing is for the two sides to begin to move forward rather than quibble over petty detail. India needs to demonstrate its seriousness in addressing the question of market access for Bangladesh. Dhaka on its part cannot expect to delay free trade arrangements by arguing that they are not good enough. Dhaka is also being cussed in refusing to consider transit facilities for India that will make it easier to move goods to the Northeast and beyond.

India, which enjoyed such facilities in East Pakistan until 1971, is amazed that it cannot have them now under a friendly Bangladesh. Dhaka's refusal makes no economic sense given the fact that it stands to gain economically by charging transit fees on Indian goods.

No one is expecting that Mr. Sibal's talks in Dhaka will break new ground in the troubled relationship between the two countries. But they could certainly clear the air and let New Delhi and Dhaka begin putting their relations back on track.

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