Friday, December 6, 2013

Developments in Bangladesh keep India on tenterhooks

From TOI
Jayanta Gupta, TNN Dec 5, 2013
KOLKATA: Even as scores of Bangladeshi citizens continue to pour across the international border everyday, both through legal channels and illegally, agencies in India are keeping their fingers crossed on developments in the neighbouring country that goes to the polls a month later. Border districts ofWest Bengal have been put on high alert to prevent a spillover of the ongoing violence in Bangladesh into India.

"The fast deteriorating law and order situation across the border is a matter of grave concern to us. We fear that if things get completely out of hand in Bangladesh, the government there may call in the Army to maintain law and order. The situation will worsen if this happens," an official in Kolkata said.On Wednesday, Indian foreign secretary Sujatha Singh visited Dhaka and spoke to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as well as leader of the opposition Khaleda Zia.

In her address to the Bangladeshi media, Singh said: "I conveyed to the PM the high importance which India attaches to having good relations with Bangladesh and to peace and stability in Bangladesh ... We therefore cannot remain indifferent to or unaffected by developments in each other's countries ... My meetings with the leader of the opposition and chairperson of the Jatiya Party were part of our ongoing dialogue with major political parties in Bangladesh ... this is an important time for Bangladesh."

Elections are an intrinsic part of the democratic process ... We hope that the forthcoming elections will respond to the aspirations of the people of Bangladesh and that they will be free, fair, impartial and peaceful ... democracy also means the ability to resolve differences through dialogue and peaceful means, without recourse to violence. We are concerned by the ongoing violence and hope that wisdom and maturity will prevail," Singh added.

In the last few years, ever since Sheikh Hasina came to power, India has been striving to mend bridges with the neighbouring country that has often accused Delhi of playing the big brother but ignoring its needs. Even as the Hasina government drew closer to India, she came under fire from her political opponents who are keen for better ties with China and even Pakistan.

This prompted India to take further steps to improve ties. These included development assistance in the form of a $800 million credit line and $200 million untied grants-in-aid as well as improvement in people-to-people exchanges and border management.

"An important decision taken as part of the confidence building measures (CBMs) was better co-operation between the Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB). This led to fewer deaths along the international border and stole some ammunition from the opposition and known India-baiters in Bangladesh. So much so that the rifles of BSF personnel on duty along the Indo-Bangla border were replaced with non-lethal pump-action guns. India also relaxed visa norms and illegal migrants from Bangladesh with no criminal antecedents were issued one time permits and allowed to return home. All these measures are likely to become futile if a new government comes to power in Bangladesh. We are certainly concerned about the developments across the border," the official added.

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