Background:
Birth of Bangladesh:
* Bangladesh was born out of Bangladesh liberation war of 1971 followed by India entering the war known as Indo-Pakistan war of 1971
Bangladesh war of Liberation:
Causes:
* When India & Pakistan got independence, Pakistan had two parts namely East Pakistan & West Pakistan
* The Liberation mainly happened due to the step motherly treatment meted towards East Pakistan
* West Pakistan had four provinces: Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and the North-West Frontier. The fifth province was East Pakistan
* East Pakistan made 70% of Pakistans exports yet was provided only 25% of the imported money
* East Pakistan had the highest population of all the 5 provinces yet had very less political power when compared to west
* In 1948 Muhammad Ali Jinnah stated the official language of Pakistan was Urdu there was resentment among East Pakistanis as they spoke Bangla,they disagreed.
* This lead to protests in East Pakistan on 21 February 1952 7 students were killed in fierce protest
* 21 February since then is observed each year to emphasize the importance of the Bengali language.
* February 21st is now recognized as the International Mother Language Day by the United Nations
* Cyclone Bhola hit east Pakistan in 1971 killing 5 lakh people the Pakistani Govt. did not provide enough relief adding more misery
Immediate Causes
* The Awami League, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won a landslide victory in the national elections in 1971 and demanded autonomy for East Pakistan.
* This victory gave it the right to form a government, but Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party refused to let the Sheikh become the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
* The war broke out when Pakistani Army launched Operation Searchlight which was to kill anybody who supported the claim of accepting the democratic elections that gave Awami clear majority
* In response East Pakistan declared Independence, Bengali military, paramilitary and civilians formed the Mukti Bahini, which engaged in guerrilla warfareagainst Pakistani forces.
* The wide spread atrocities by Pakistani Army lead to refugees entering India, The East Pakistan-India border was opened to allowrefugeessafe shelter in India
* The then PM Indira Gandhi appealed to international community with no proper response.
* Indian intelligence trained the Mukti Bahini
* On 9 August 1971, India signed atwenty-year co-operation treatywith the Soviet Union which promised military support to nation on being attacked
* To the Pakistani leadership this seemed to be a plan by India to go on war with Pakistan
* Operation Chengis Khan was launched on India, Pakistan Air force attacked forward air bases of India.
* The then PM Indira Gandhi declared war on Pakistan & thus India entered the war on December 3,1971 ended on 16, December 1971 liberating East Pakistan the future Bangladesh .
* War ended in 13 days one of the shortest in history
* China & USA were one of the last countries to recognize Bangladesh
What followed?
* Soon after Bangladesh was recognized Indira Gandhi signed treaty with Acting president Nazrul Islam according to which India would leave Bangladesh as soon as normalcy returned to Bangladesh
Treaty of Friendship
* Shiek Mujib soon after assuming office signed Treaty of Friendship & Peace with India
* Treaty of Friendship & Peace was signed for a period of 25years
* It spoke of Friendship, promise not interfere in each other internal affairs
* In case of aggression against either of the countries both would consult each other
* Not to support a third country when aggression on one another ,not to attack each other
The Trade Agreement
* Short term agreement signed between two countries provided duty free zone upto 16km on both sides of the border
* Trade up to 50 Crore a year ,market access to Bangladesh
Shimla Agreement 1972
* The treaty was signed inShimla,India, byZulfiqar Ali Bhutto, thePrime Minister of Pakistan, andIndira Gandhi, thePrime Minister of India.
* Signed between India & Pakistan to put an end to the conflict and confrontation that have hitherto marred their relations
* Lead to dipomatic recognition of Bangladesh by Pakistan
Delhi Agreement 1973
* On the Repatriation of War and Civilian Internees is a tripartite agreement between India,Pakistan & Bangladesh
* Signed by foreign ministers of respective countries
Assasination of Mujibur Rehaman
* Bangladeshs economy worsened prices sky rocked, Mujib Rehman declared emergency and assumed all powers on himself
* A coup (1975) was staged by army majors & Mujib was killed
* Islamic fundamentalism rose ,Lt. General Zia-ur-Rehman assumed power
* Bangladesh became pro Pakistani,became Islamic Republic when its Parliament passed Amendment bill in 1988 declaring Islam as a State religion
* Lt. General Zia-ur-Rehman ruled till 1981 was killed replaced by civilian President Sattar who again was replaced in a bloodless coup by Lt.Gen.Ershad
* Ershad took Bangladesh more closer to Islamic countries,oil producing countries
* Bangladesh became pro Pakistan and anti India.
The Military Years
* After the death of Mujib Rehaman, ruled till 1981 was the founder of Bangladesh Nationalist Party
* Sheik Hasina was in self exile in India post her Father Mujibs assassination only to return when elected as Leader of the Awami league
* During rule Bangladesh turned pro Islamic and pro China to an extend of China becoming leading arms supplier
* China supplied fifteen F-6 fighter jets and in 1986, they issued sixteen more A-5 fighters.
* Bangladesh did this to counter balance India in the region
* India started aiding Shinti Bahini guerrillas in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, as Bangladesh began to serve as a conduit for arms and a home base for insurgents in Northeast India.
* Zia-ur-Rehman was controversial for supporting pro Pakistani anti liberation leaders who killed Mujibur Rehman
* Following a bloodless coup Lt.Gen.Ershad took the reign,he ruled by martial law
* Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, pressure from western donors for reforms aided in the democratic movement, Ershad resigned following students protest against the regime
Democracy in Bangladesh 1990-2009
* Bangladesh Nationalist Party assumed power led by Khaleda Zia, she followed the policy of earlier military regimes ,Pro Pakistan, China gave safe heaven to terrorists
* The election of Sheik Hasina greatly improved India-Bangladesh relations
Issues Between India & Bangladesh
* Water
Sharing of Ganga waters: Farraka Barrage
* River Ganga originating from Gangotri flows south eastern direction from India and reaches Bangladesh
* River Ganga bifurcates south of Farraka in Murshidabad district of West Bengal
* The water dispute is mainly during the lean season of the Ganges between January and May
* Flow of Ganga reduces to 55000cusecs,Kolkatta Port needs a minimum of 40000cusecs leaving only 15000cusecs for Bangladesh which is insufficient for them
* Studies showed that Kolkatta Port needed minimum of 40000cusecs for its safety.
* The Farraka Barrage was built when Bangladesh was still East Pakistan 1961-71
* In1972 Joint Rivers Commission was setup in accordance with Mujjib - Indira agreement
* Mujib visited India in 1974 which lead to signing of agreement in 1975,India agreed to allow about 80% of water to Bangladesh in 6weeks of the lean period
* After Mujibs assassination Indias attitude changed,as the agreement expired India returned to drawing the normal 40000cusecs
The 1977 Agreement
* This agreement was signed by the new government led by PM Moraji desai & Zia ur Rehman
* Provided partial solution as it spoke of only water release during the lean period only
* It was set such that sharing of water would be regulated every 10 days
* 5 year agreement expired by 1982
* The old agreement was extended between the then PM Indira Gandhi and President Ershad
* The Minimum availability clause of the old agreement was deleted and the sharing of water depended on the availability of water
* The agreement expired by 1988 and s India drew water on adhoc basis
* India suggested a link canal between Bramahaputra & Ganges as the current discharge of water was low to share between the two countries
* Bangladesh refused the offer calling it legally unjustifiable, technically impractical, economically and ecologically disastrous."
New Treaty:
* Bilateral treaty was signed by the Indian Prime minister H. D. Deve Gowda and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheik Hasina Wajed on 12 December, 1996.
* This treaty established a thirty year water sharing arrangement with guaranteed minimum quantities of water supply for Bangladesh, whose rights as a lower riparian country was recognized.
* The 30 year water sharing treaty envisaged that the water of the Ganges River would be distributed from Farakka for the two countries between 1 January
and 31 May of each year
* India was required to maintain the flow of Farakka at the average level of the previous 40 years
Teesta River Water Dispute:
* The 1983 Teesta River Agreement allows India and Bangladesh to share 75 percent of the river water on a 39 and 36 percent basis.
* The Teesta River floodplain that includes the extreme northwest region of Bangladesh
accounts for 14% of the total cropped area in 2001
* Around 63% of the total cropped area in the region is irrigated laying down a direct link between irrigational water availability and agricultural use.
* The floodplain which is presently considered a dry zone depends on the Trans Boundary River flows between India and Bangladesh
* During Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs visit to Bangladesh in 2011, it was announced that India would share the remaining 25 percent of the river water on a 50:50 basis.
* This met with opposition from West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee as it might affect farmers of her state and the signing was held back
* On 10 February 2013, Indian Foreign Secretary, Ranjan Mathai pledged conclusive obligation over the Teesta ordeal, We are unwavering in our commitment to reach a satisfactory conclusion within the shortest possible timeframe.
* Land Disputes
The New Moore Island Dispute
* New Moore Island covering an area of 2t o12sq.km,depending on rising and receding tide is located in the Bay of Bengal.
* It is 5000meters from Indian coastal point and 7000meters from Bangladesh coastal point
* It was first noticed in 1971,notified to British Admiralty
* West Bengal Govt called it Purbhasha(Hope of East),Bangladesh called it South Talapatty
* In 1980 when Indian flag was hoisted Bangladesh protested calling it a disputed area.
* India had followed the Median Line principle
* This means an equidistant line drawn on plotted points on the sea from the nearest shores of the contending counties.
* Bangladesh even threatened to take it to UN
Indo-Bangladesh land boundary agreement- The Constitution (One Hundred and Nineteenth) Amendment Bill, 2013(THE HINDU dated Aug 13,2013)
* The amendment bill yet to be passed will lead to transfer of land worth 10000acres of land to Bangladesh,these transfers are enclaves.
What is a Enclave?
Geographical Territories of countries lacking geographical contiguity forming parts of one state sometimes results in some parts being surrounded by the territory of another state. Such territories are termed enclaves. E.g Pakistan before 1971 had two discontinuous territories East & West
* The residents of an enclave cannot travel to their home state without crossing international borders and obtaining the necessary permission for the same.
* Governmental agencies of the home state cannot access the enclave without the permission of the state that surrounds the enclave.
* As per the joint verification carried out by the Indian and Bangladeshi governments in April 1997, there are 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh and 51 Bangladeshi enclaves in India.
* The residents of these enclaves do not enjoy the same basic amenities that the mainland citizens of their country enjoy, only for practical problems of access.
* By the Land Boundary Agreement of 1974 between the two countries, and the 2011 Protocol to the said Agreement, India and Bangladesh agreed to exchange these small parcels of land and better demarcate the land boundary between them.
* The borders of the Indian States of Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya and Tripura will be affected by this exchange of territory
Indian-Bangladesh Example
Tin Bigha Corridor:
Source: http://coochbehar.nic.in/htmfiles/tinbigha.html
* Dahagram and Angorpota,the two enclaves of Bangladesh are separated from district Rangpur of Bangladesh by a small patch of an acre of Indian territory called TinBigha.
* The transit of Bangladeshis via Tin Bigha was sought to be settled when Indira Gandhi and Bangladesh President H.M.Ershad signed an agreement in1982.
* It was agreed upon that Tin Bigha would be leased to Bangladesh
* People and security personnel of Bangladesh would have the right to free and unfettered movement and they would not be required to carry travel documents of any kind.
* This didnt happen as this needed a constitutional amendment and was opposed by the opposition
* Trade
Transshipment & Transit
* Transshipment refers to the shipment of goods or containers to an intermediate
destination, and then to yet another destination.
* Transshipment may also refer to the same movement using Bangladeshowned
transport.
* Transshipment has been achieved by India in its relationship with Bangladesh.
* Transit refers to the passage of Indian good across Bangladeshi borders to and
from the North Eastern states of Indian owned surface transport
* Bangladesh, on the 31 May, 2010 signed an agreement to finalize a transshipment
deal with India to allow Indian goods to be transported to Tripura through Bangladeshi territory.
* Goods produced in North east are affected because transport from North east to Kolkatta port is high, hampering trade this can be reduced by agreement with respect to transit from Bangladesh
* The two countries were supposed to sign an agreement in 2011 allowing transit access
to India. With India holding back on the Teesta issue, Bangladesh decided not go forward and sign the agreement.
* Transit access opposed in Bangladesh as it may help India increase its military strength in the North East region indirectly irritating China for helping India
* The only transit currently available is Siliguri corridor also known as Chicken neck is a narrow stretch that connects India to rest of North East
Source:Wikipedia: Red circle -> Siliguri corridor
Trade
* Weak economic ties has been one of the irritants in India Bangladesh relationship
* The trade deficit on the Bangladeshi side has been increasing on average 9% annually
Trade deficits stem from both trade and non trade barriers
Trade barriers
* Imposition of state tax
* Antidumping (AD)
* Countervailing duties
Non trade Barriers
* Laboratory tests in Bangladesh, especially for food products, cosmetics, and leather and textiles products.
* Packaging requirements
* Inadequate infrastructure facilities such as warehousing
* Illegal & Informal trade from India to Bangladesh has been a irritant as it leads to loss of customs duty
Illegal Immigration
* Bangladeshis enter India illegally because of poor economic conditions in Bangladesh
* Bangladesh is huge labour surplus country thus making India a pull factor
* There has been views that Bangladesh promoting lebensraum(expanded living space or habitat) which has led to such large presence of Bangladeshis especially in the border region.
* Migration has lead to Human trafficking ,flesh trade in the country
Indian Response
* Steps to identify these illegal migrants were taken under the Foreigners Act, 1946 and under the Illegal Migrants Determination byT ribunal (IMDT) Act, 1983 of Assam.
* IMDT act was struck down by Supreme Court
* These have provided little result due to ethnic, linguistic, cultural, physical and social similarities, Bangladeshi nationals tend to merge easily with the local population making it difficult to identify them.
Fencing
* Continuous illegal migration prompted India to fence its international borders with Bangladesh.
* Initially this project was meant to be completed by 1997 but the work has not moved along as planned.
* Out of the total length of 3,436.59 km to be fenced, so far fencing of 2,735.12 km has been completed
* Conclusion
* The Future of India-Bangladesh relations depends on the soon to be held election in Bangladesh which is between Sheik Hasina(Incumbent PM) lead Awami league and Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh Nationalist Party
* Sheik Hasina eldest daughter of Mujibir Rehman, founding father of Bangladesh-Pro India
* Khaleda Zia wife of Zia ur Rehman who founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-Pro Islamic-Pro Pakistani
by Aditya Ravichandran
Sources
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/reconfiguring-bangladeshindia-relations/article4549430.ece
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501596614
http://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21586514-new-history-sheds-fresh-light-shameful-moment-american-foreign-policy-blood
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http://www.ipcs.org/article/india/teesta-water-accord-expectations-for-indo-bangladesh-water-diplomacy-3825.html
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wikipedia
Books
India S Neighbourhood Challenges in the Next Two Decades-Idsa
Handbook of Indias International Relations- Edited by David Scott-Routledge International
Foreign Policy of India. V N Khanna
Note
My last article was on India-Afghanistan Relations.I intend to follow this up with other Neighouring countries of India, do suggest ways to improvement my writing skills.
If you find the piece worth publishing in your website please do it.
