India must give up its diplomacy of aggression and pressure

The Southern Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established in 1985 with representation from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. SAARC remained inactive for many years due to India's participation and its electoral disinterest in Pakistan. The country's neighbours are losing confidence in this foreign policy revelation. Neighbouring countries are drifting further and further apart due to differences in confidence.

India has faced a new crisis after the collapse of the Awami League government following the massive student uprising in Bangladesh. It is also in danger of drifting away from its close ally Bangladesh, leaving India virtually "on its own" in the region. The two superpowers of Nepal and Bhutan, located between China and India, have moved away from the Indian position and closer and closer to China over the past decade. With the abolition of the monarchy and the rise of pro-Chinese communists in a democratic government, relations between India and Nepal have not been rosy for years. In particular, the Nepalese people have been severely affected by the blockade imposed by the Indian government in late 2015, in violation of international norms. India's inhumane blockade of domestic politics (drafting Nepal's constitution) has led to the rise of anti-India movements across Nepal. Under duress, Nepal forged relations with China, which took the opportunity to counter India. India has yet to overcome this distance from Nepal. For geographical and cultural reasons, India has concluded agreements with Bhutan on various issues, including foreign policy. These include the 1949 Friendship Treaty, which was amended in 2007. Although there is a border with China, formal diplomatic relations are not long-standing. But due to India's aggressive attitude, Bhutan is also drawing closer to China.

India's relations with the island nation of the Maldives are also very poor. The President of the Maldives, Mohammad Moijju, came to power earlier this year with a mandate to expel Indian army personnel from the country. He implemented this as soon as he came to power. In addition, military agreements with China have increased the presence of Chinese vessels in the Indian Ocean, close to the Maldives. India's concern stems from the fact that this area is an important sea route for international trade between the East and West of the world. India is striving to improve relations with the Maldives. Last week, India's Foreign Minister visited the Maldives. Most Sri Lankans believe that India has fuelled the country's three decades of bloody civil war. As a result of this mistrust between the two countries, Sri Lanka has entered into various military agreements, including allowing China to use its seacoast. This has strengthened China's presence in Sri Lanka, alarming India. India is trying to restore this relationship by helping Sri Lanka through the economic crisis. India has invested billions of dollars in Afghanistan to exploit its opposition to Pakistan and improve relations with it. But when the Taliban government came to power in an armed coup, it drew closer to China. China is carrying out major development work to increase its connectivity, which has had the effect of orienting Afghanistan's nascent economy towards China, thus affecting relations with India.

India's relations with Pakistan, the only country in the region, are historically poor. After the partition of the country in 1947, the two countries fought several wars. China helped Pakistan in these wars. SAARC could not be set up due to opposition from Pakistan and India. Bangladesh's inaction also affected it. Although not part of SAARC, another country in the region, Myanmar, also has close ties with China. Bangladesh was therefore India's last true friend in the region. But this relationship is also in danger of deteriorating. Over the past 16 years, the Indian government has become the adversary of most Bangladeshis, supporting the Awami League government exclusively. Most people feel that India has simply profited from this one-sided situation. India has obtained many unethical advantages, including transit facilities at nominal tariffs to establish continental connectivity with the seven states known as the “Seven Sisters”, the expansion of business in Bangladesh by Indian corporate groups, including the corrupt Adani group, master of the notorious Hindenburg scandal, the construction of the Rampal power plant despite fierce opposition from environmentalists. Bangladesh got virtually nothing in return, and the much-publicised Teesta agreement never happened. Bangladesh's international rivers have no water in the dry season, indiscriminate border killings have not stopped. However, Indian border guards say nothing about the arrival of stolen goods in Bangladesh. It is therefore the responsibility of the new government to open up to the public the benefits that India has enjoyed over the past 15 years. India is the 7th largest country in the world, about 23 times the size of Bangladesh. It is the world's most populous country. According to the statistics website Worldometers, on August 12, 2024, 17.78%, or 145 million, of the world's 8.17 billion inhabitants will be Indian. That's around 8 times more than the 17.3 million Bangladeshis. The length of the border between Bangladesh and India is 4,156.56 kilometers. We are grateful to the government and people of India (especially the states of West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, etc.) for their armed cooperation in the great war of liberation of Bangladesh, for creating public opinion in the international arena and for providing shelter for around a thousand refugees. It was possible to maintain good relations with India, since cultural relations existed. But these relations did not remain parallel due to India's lack of cooperation after independence.

Relations between the two countries are deep thanks to the Mujib-Indira welfare. The Zia, Ershad and Khaleda Zia governments maintained a balanced relationship in the past, although the depth of relations diminished after Bangabandhu's assassination. However, Bangladesh's diplomatic relations with India weakened during the second term of Khaleda Zia's government. According to India, the government's silence on the housing of separatists cooled relations. However, after she came to power in 2008, relations between the Indian government and Sheikh Hasina's government strengthened and gradually became one-sided. As a result, India has benefited from bilateral diplomacy over the past 15 years. Fundamentally, most Bangladeshis are dissatisfied with the Indian government because of its aggressive diplomacy and interference in domestic politics. The equitable sharing of river water is one of the issues linked to Bangladesh's interests with India. All Bangladesh's major rivers flow through India. Year after year, India unfairly withholds water during the dry season, leading to droughts and floods in the north during the monsoons. Lack of water during the dry season or flooding during the rainy season is detrimental to agricultural production. This situation has increased dependence on India for daily food supplies.

Multinationals' products are also legally sourced from India, including rice, salt, onions, garlic, sugar and all basic necessities. Various narcotics and consumer products, including phensidyl, are imported illegally. Although the innocent Felani in the border area have not escaped the attention of Indian border guards, smuggling has not stopped. Bangladeshis are almost regularly shot dead at the border. Transit is a hot topic. It has been transiting through Bangladesh to facilitate the central government's communication with India's seven states. This transit agreement should be reconsidered. It also remains to be seen what benefits Bangladesh will derive from the transit provided to India. It's worth asking whether it's fair to set up transit on the road. Consider the hassle of building new roads and repairing them every year. Heavy mechanised traffic will increase the risk of road accidents. These can be evaluated financially. But what is the financial cost of the environmental disaster that excess mechanised traffic will bring in terms of pollution? Moreover, in the interests of India, why should we lead the country into an environmental disaster? Specific information on the goods and quantities transported as part of the transit facility should be provided. Bangladeshi channels are not broadcast in India, but we can watch all Indian channels. This is aggression. This invasion has a negative impact on our culture and economy.

The “enclave” was a major problem in India and Bangladesh. This problem was resolved under the Awami League. This does not mean that India has given up on it. On the contrary, both sides are obliged to solve a problem. Most people in Bangladesh enjoy close relations with India's neighbouring states. This relationship can only be hopeful if diplomatic relations between the two countries are stable and good. Narendra Modi is still a long way from becoming a world leader, while he has not yet been able to become a regional leader due to his lack of respect for democracy. To achieve this, India must give up its diplomacy of aggression and pressure. India will deal with the government of the day in Bangladesh through diplomatic channels regarding the extradition of recently ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said in response to questions from reporters. If friendly relations exist between India and Bangladesh, the people of both countries will benefit. It is to be hoped that the governments of both countries will be aware and active in this respect.

It is argued that India's foreign policy has become much more assertive in recent times, but it is also believed that India's cautious stance on a number of issues in the past, for fear of international backlash and condemnation, has slowed down the momentum. This mindset relegated India to the league of the few nations that were reluctant or timid powers but have the potential to rise in the regional and international space. India's acceptance of the quadrilateral security dialogue that it has initiated with the US, Japan and Australia clearly shows that there is considerable potential and impact. India's approach to skills and technology development and the creation of joint ventures on critical aspects of technology such as space and cyber clearly demonstrates that India has a blueprint for the next phase of its foreign policy, as well as a progressive strategic outlook. India's new policy outlook is futuristic and has adopted a results-oriented approach.

The writer is a Geneva-based private banking compliance security expert, columnist and poet.