Mending Delhi’s ties with Dhaka

Foreign secretary Vikram Misri’s visit to Dhaka — the first senior Indian functionary to travel to Bangladesh since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime in August — is a welcome pause since the ties between the two neighbours have been increasingly turning cold, if not hostile. Expectedly, the conversations in Dhaka on Monday — between Misri and the head of Bangladesh’s caretaker administration, Muhammad Yunus, de facto foreign minister Touhid Hossain, and Misri’s counterpart, Mohammad Jashim Uddin — did not yield new ground. Both sides laid out their concerns and demands: Misri conveyed India’s discomfort over the reported attack on minorities while highlighting India’s support for a democratic and inclusive Bangladesh; Jashim Uddin refuted the reports of attacks as disinformation and described New Delhi expressing concern as interference in Bangladesh’s internal affairs. Parallelly, Yunus brought up Hasina’s statements, saying they added to the strain.

The protection of minorities in Bangladesh is an internal matter of Dhaka, sure — but what if the State fails in that task? There is ample evidence that exposes Dhaka’s failure to stop the attacks on Hindu shrines, homes and people. The detention of Chinmoy Krishna Das, a monk previously associated with Iskcon, has raised questions about the administration’s commitment to protecting minorities. It will be difficult for India to ignore these developments for at least two reasons.

First, the two nations have shared history and are part of a geographical and cultural continuum. It explains the massive sympathy in India for the people of East Pakistan during the latter’s liberation war of 1971. Second, any targeting of minorities in Bangladesh leads to an influx of refugees into India. Unlike the case with India’s western border, the movement of refugees from East Pakistan did not stop after Partition; even the birth of Bangladesh, a secular Republic founded on linguistic identity in contrast to the faith-centric Pakistan, has not stopped this. Most of these migrants are Bangladeshi Hindus crossing over under duress in their homeland. It has triggered fears of demographic change in India’s eastern states. New Delhi has never officially raised the issue of refugees with Dhaka, considering its friendly relations, and has preferred to fence the border to prevent illegal migration. Bangladesh needs to understand this context and be responsive to India’s sensitivities on the minority question.

Now that both sides have articulated their concerns and differences, the leadership should find ways to rebuild trust and work together. Both nations will benefit from a healthy relationship.

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