[🇧🇩] Indo-Bangla Relation: India's Regional Ambition, Geopolitical Reality, and Strategic Options For Bangladesh

[Vsdoc]

@Bilal9

Billoo, Godi Media is an offensive slur designed to irk a majority of Indian nationalists.

Please do not keep using that offensive term.

 

[Saif]

Dhaka-Delhi ties must be defined by respect and fairness

First high-level meetings since Hasina's fall touch on key bilateral challenges

www.thedailystar.net

Dhaka-Delhi ties must be defined by respect and fairness
First high-level meetings since Hasina's fall touch on key bilateral challenges

VISUAL: STAR

The first high-level talks between Bangladesh and India should be seen both as a recognition of the challenges straining our bilateral relationship and as a welcome attempt to recalibrate it in light of the new reality following Bangladesh's political changeover four months ago. During his daylong visit to Dhaka on Monday, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri held separate discussions with Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain, as well as his Bangladeshi counterpart Md Jashim Uddin. Media reports on the meetings indicate that both camps used the occasion to address key areas of contention while laying the groundwork for what they hope to be a mutually beneficial partnership.

This is something we indeed welcome, as a constructive partnership between our two nations is essential not only for addressing existing challenges but also for unlocking the vast potential of mutual cooperation in areas of shared interest. The first step in that direction, as Prof Yunus has rightly pointed out, would be addressing the "clouds" or sources of tension that have overshadowed our relationship in recent months—a responsibility that India must lead on, given its involvement in these issues.

Chief among them is the harmful narrative propagated by certain Indian media outlets and politicians regarding the treatment of minorities in Bangladesh, which undermined its reputation and sovereignty and even led to assaults on its diplomatic missions. It is imperative for the Indian authorities to take decisive steps to counter such propaganda to prevent continued erosion of trust between our peoples. Of equal concern are Sheikh Hasina's inflammatory speeches and statements coming out of her place of refuge in India, which is further fanning tensions and divisions. While Vikram Misri has emphasised that India's ties with Bangladesh transcend party politics, the continuation of such rhetoric from its territory must be prevented to rebuild confidence in our shared journey.

The longstanding issue of border killings—with the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) gunning down a suspected cattle lifter along the Panchagarh border as recently as Friday—remains another test for the durability of the drive to recalibrate our partnership. The recurring loss of Bangladeshi lives at the border contradicts the spirit of neighbourly interactions. While we acknowledge India's concerns about border crimes, there is no justification for extrajudicial killings. We urge India to adopt humane and sustainable solutions to all border law enforcement issues.

Among other key bilateral issues discussed during the talks are trade, agreements on transboundary rivers, including the Teesta, flood management, electricity imports from India and beyond, Rohingya repatriation, etc. The future of our ties with India will largely depend on how it responds to Bangladesh's position on these and other issues. One thing is certain, however. Increasing collaboration and cooperation from both sides will not only boost regional stability and economic integration, but can also help build a partnership that is reflective of the aspirations of both nations.

We value our ties with India, and appreciate its desire to work closely with the interim government. But going forward, our relationship must be grounded in mutual respect and fairness.​

 

[Saif]

What will the basis of India's new relations with Bangladesh be?

Bangladesh and India relations are important and multidimensional, strongly linked to the history, geography and culture of the two countries. Historically speaking, this relationship has gone through a lot of ups and downs. While there are many examples of friendship, cooperation and mutual...

en.prothomalo.com

What will the basis of India's new relations with Bangladesh be?
Selim Raihan
Updated: 10 Dec 2024, 22: 24

Demonstrations in Dhaka against anti-Bangladesh campaigns in India Prothom Alo

Bangladesh and India relations are important and multidimensional, strongly linked to the history, geography and culture of the two countries. Historically speaking, this relationship has gone through a lot of ups and downs. While there are many examples of friendship, cooperation and mutual support, these relations are marred time and again by suspicion and mistrust, complicating the way ahead.

In recent times the political change in Bangladesh brought about by the July-August mass uprising, along with regional and international reactions, had taken this suspicion and mistrust to a new height. Various messages and attitudes conveyed in different political, diplomatic and media contexts are affecting the balance of relations between the two countries. As a result, a challenge looms large to building up sustainable and trustful relations on the basis of fairness and equality.

Maintaining communal harmony is not simply the responsibility of the government. The civil society, the media and religious leaders also have an important role in this process

Need for fairness and multidimensionality

Bangladesh and India's relations are not restricted to the political arena alone. This is important on an economic, cultural and geographical scale too. In this context it has become imperative for the Indian government as well as the major political parties over there to evaluate the political change in Bangladesh in a dispassionate and realistic manner and to accept the reality sprouting from the July-August mass uprising. This evaluation must not be biased towards any one particular political party, but their priority should be towards building a multidimensional, deep and inclusive relationship with the people of Bangladesh.

However, it is unfortunate that in recent times certain media in India have been running a smear campaign against Bangladesh, openly supporting the fallen fascist government, presenting false information and publishing exaggerated news. This has created an obstacle to objective and dispassionate analysis. As a result, the complexities in relations between the two countries are growing. The recent attack on the Bangladesh assistant high commission in Tripura, India, has made matters worse. This is a condemnable incident that has damaged diplomatic relations between the two countries. The Indian government must certainly take speedy and effective measures to ensure that such an incident is not repeated.

In the meantime, Bangladesh too should focus on establishing relations with Bangladesh on the basis of fairness and mutual respect. In this context it is important to jointly search for ways to resolve the longstanding unresolved issues between the two countries, such as sharing of river waters, halting border killing, easing bilateral trade and investment and improving communications.

It is also important for the Bangladesh government and political parties not to create a cheap anti-Indian space in bilateral talks with India or in protests. It is vital in the interests of upholding Bangladesh's long-standing interests to adopt a responsible and mature stance in the matter of relations with India. Cheap India bashing may boost the interests of certain political groups, but this will never be conducive to the welfare of the Bangladesh people.

Protecting religious minorities: Shared challenge

Concern regarding the rights of the religious minorities in Bangladesh and India is a deep-rooted problem that exists in the social and political structures of both countries. In both countries the minority communities at various times have faced discrimination, oppression and a shrinking of rights. It is imperative for the state to take measures and have a well-planned policy to end such discrimination. But this problem often becomes the centre of political debate, obfuscating the actual way to a solution and the actual roots are not reached.

The minority communities in both countries want equal rights, security and dignity. They do not want to become tools of any particular political group. With this in mind, particularly in context of the recent political change in Bangladesh, one of the most important responsibilities of the interim government should be to ensure the security of the minorities.

It is imperative to be alert against activities of any groups within the country or outside that may harm communal harmony. Such groups do not only put the country's internal stability at risk, but also have a negative impact on international relations. For example, if communal agitation increases in Bangladesh, this may find reflection in India and in the same manner, India's situation can have an impact on Bangladesh's internal situation.

The fact remains that narrow-minded communal groups create intolerance and divisions in both countries. They are not satisfied with creating problems in their own countries alone, but influence and inspire each other. The governments of both countries must sternly control the activities of such groups and take effective measures to this end.

Maintaining communal harmony is not simply the responsibility of the government. The civil society, the media and religious leaders also have an important role in this process. The leadership of both countries must unitedly take initiative to ensure that the rights and the security of the religious minorities. It is also imperative to build up a humanitarian and tolerant environment or dignity where everyone can live safely with their own identities.

Such a tolerant and inclusive environment is not only conducive for minorities, but is very important for the overall social stability and development of both countries. This is a historical opportunity for both countries to set up an example of religious harmony and respect for human rights by means of mutual cooperation and to build up a future.

Using new possibilities

It has become absolutely imperative for Bangladesh and India to build up multidimensional and balanced relations. From the perspective of deep ties of geography, history, culture and economy, these relations can be rendered sustainable and dynamic to ensure the socioeconomic welfare of the people of both countries. This is not just essential, but imperative for the overall development and regional stability of both countries.

The present times in Bangladesh, particularly in the time after the July-August mass uprising, stands as a big challenge to the political parties, civil societies and the media of both the countries. This has brought forward the need to reevaluate the old strategies, narrow viewpoints and one-sided decisions. At the same time, fresh opportunities have arisen to open the doors to a new and positive bilateral relationship.

Now the time has come to put this opportunity to use. Both sides should try to find joint solutions to the unresolved problems on the basis of fairness and mutual respect. If this opportunity is not taken up, then the communal forces will slip in through the gaps and try to make the situation murky. Such groups create a block to peaceful coexistence and long-tern partnership between the two countries.

Their instigative activities exacerbate the problems rather than resolving them. This is harmful to the development and growth of both countries. That is why Bangladesh and India must make concerted efforts to start a new chapter. It is not the responsibility of political leadership alone but of the civil society, academics and the media to create a positive environment. This will not generate a feeling of hope within the country, but will establish and model of relations of peace and cooperation in the greater region of South Asia.

The leadership of both countries should ensure socioeconomic development of the people by means of far-looking and realistic policies. Narrow, one-sided viewpoints should be dropped and bilateral relations taken ahead on the basis of sincerity, mutual respect and cooperation. This is not just a matter of tackling the present challenges, but will facilitate a bright future for both countries.

*Selim Raihan is a professor of economics at Dhaka University and executive director, SANEM. He may be reached at selim.raihan@gmail.com

*This column appeared in the print an online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ayesha Kabir​

 

[Saif]

Indian foreign secy briefs MPs on Bangladesh tour

Says Bangladesh promised action against the perpetrators of violence against minorities

www.thedailystar.net

Indian foreign secy briefs MPs on Bangladesh tour
Says Bangladesh promised action against the perpetrators of violence against minorities

File photo of Vikram Misri/Collected

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri briefed the parliamentary standing committee on external affairs, led by Congress lawmaker Dr Shashi Tharoor, about the situation in Bangladesh yesterday.

The briefing comes after an Indian delegation led by Misri held a Foreign Office Consultations in Dhaka on December 9.

Several MPs questioned Misri about the ground situation in Bangladesh amid daily reports of violence against minorities appearing in the Indian media. The foreign secretary assured them that the Bangladesh government had promised action against the perpetrators.

Misri also clarified that, contrary to media reports, the Professor Muhammad Yunus-led interim government did not raise issues regarding reviewing any agreements with India.

Many MPs, cutting across party lines, expressed concerns about the violence and unrest in Bangladesh and the fate of an arrested Hindu monk, former ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das. Misri assured the panel that the government has taken all necessary steps at various levels to address the issue, including through diplomatic channels.

Sources indicated that many MPs wanted to determine the status of deposed Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India after her ouster on August 5, and whether she was a refugee or had taken asylum. External affairs ministry officials did not comment on this, the sources added.

After the meeting, committee chairman Tharoor expressed satisfaction with the briefing by the Ministry of External Affairs official. "It was a very good meeting, and since we will be reporting to parliament about this issue, which is going to be sometime later next year, it can be termed as a very good beginning," he said.

Tharoor also noted that Misri had given a comprehensive briefing and was pleased with the high turnout of committee members.

However, sources said a consultative committee meeting scheduled for December 14, in which Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was to apprise the panel about India's neighbourhood policy in light of the Bangladesh situation, has been called off due to "unavoidable circumstances" and will be held at a later date.

Misri's visit was the first top-level diplomatic contact between New Delhi and Dhaka since the regime change in Bangladesh.

Besides calling on Yunus, Misri also met Foreign Adviser Touhid Hussain and his Bangladeshi counterpart Jashim Uddin in Dhaka.​

 

[Saif]

India’s manipulative diplomacy

THE recent visit of India’s foreign secretary to Dhaka came at a time charged with transformative potential and stakes that are unrivalled. To Bangladesh, the July uprising is more than just a tectonic shift; it’s a declaration of people’s will against tyranny, it is a beacon for nations under...

www.newagebd.net

India’s manipulative diplomacy
Abu Rushd, M Zakir Hossain and Salman Chowdhury 11 December, 2024, 21:43

THE recent visit of India’s foreign secretary to Dhaka came at a time charged with transformative potential and stakes that are unrivalled. To Bangladesh, the July uprising is more than just a tectonic shift; it’s a declaration of people’s will against tyranny, it is a beacon for nations under oppression, and it is a call for unification.

For India, it is a moment of truth that will say whether it can look beyond manipulative diplomacy and move in tandem with the winds of change blowing across South Asia.

The decisions India took during this visit will have an impact far beyond Dhaka; it will define how the world views the region’s largest democracy as it charts a delicate Indo-Pacific and grapples with its own domestic discontent.

Manipulative diplomacy vs transparent leadership

THE fact that India will allow Sheikh Hasina to make a public statement from its soil before this visit is deeply problematic. It reflects an attempt to use her voice as a veiled threat to Bangladesh’s interim government before this visit, something not befitting the world’s largest democracy; it is rather a page out of the playbook of wily authoritarian states.

There are reasons why this strategy backfires:

Generation resilience: The Bangladeshi youth who went out unarmed against live ammunition will not be deterred by pressure tactics. This is a generation that, still unarmed, has defied snipers and APCs; they scoff at manipulative diplomacy.

Loss of trust: It only increases the lack of trust between India and the people of Bangladesh, spoiling the goodwill the relation ought to have.

For India to secure its place as a good neighbour, it must abandon such antiquated policy and adopt an evenhanded, transparent policy working in harmony with the sovereignty and desires of Bangladesh.

Line in the sand

INDIA needs to realise that the way it is treating Sheikh Hasina and her ousted regime at present may cause irreparable damage to its relations with the interim government, future governments, and, most importantly, the people of Bangladesh. The time for appeasement is over. It is a diplomatic and moral necessity now to arrest Sheikh Hasina immediately and put a halt on her ability to incite further violence in Bangladesh. All the members of her regime now hiding in India should be properly investigated with actionable action against the persons found guilty of crimes against humanity. Extradition proceedings against them should commence without further ado. Only this will signal that the Indian government has respect for justice and human rights.

The interim government of Bangladesh is not an ordinary administration; it is a government born of the blood of the people. In the July uprising, more than 1,500 lives were lost and thousands more maimed. Among the dead were children as young as three, innocents caught in the crossfire of tyranny, irrespective of religious or political beliefs. This government is not bound by mere political promises but by an unshakeable obligation to those who gave up everything to free their nation from Sheikh Hasina’s autocracy.

For India to expect the same level of manipulability it once enjoyed under Hasina is a grave miscalculation. This government is not beholden to foreign appeasement or quiet deals; it is answerable to the people who fought unarmed against a regime armed to the teeth. Only if cooperation with India is prefaced by real deeds that demonstrate India’s commitment to justice and democracy will it be viable. Arresting Hasina immediately would be a stepping stone towards that, nothing less than that.

India’s reputation on line

INDIA’S support for the autocratic regime of Sheikh Hasina does not happen in a vacuum but is under intense international scrutiny, mainly from Western democracies and human rights organisations. Such actions run the risk of erosion of global standing for any country that aspires to be a formidable nation in the Indo-Pacific and a beacon of democracy.

Much of India’s hold in the Indo-Pacific rests on its democratic credentials, which are already in question. By continuing to support Hasina, whose rule has been marked by electoral manipulation, human rights abuses, and suppression of minorities, India sends a contradictory message. These developments are being watched very closely by Western democracies, most especially by the US, Japan, and Australia. India’s tacit approval of Hasina’s oppressive tactics could weaken its position in alliances like the Quad.

The reputation of India as the ‘world’s largest democracy’ is already under question due to rising authoritarian tendencies domestically. Supporting a leader responsible for the deaths of 1,500 civilians during Bangladesh’s July uprising further erodes that perception. Human rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have already documented Hasina’s brutal crackdowns. India’s tacit approval not only sullies its democratic image but also bolsters accusations of complicity in these atrocities.

International attention is not merely rhetorical; it has real-world consequences. Global advocacy groups can magnify this censure, shaping foreign investments and partnerships. India needs to ask itself: Can it afford to be seen as the enabler of tyranny when the soft power of its reputation rests on its model of democracy?

Adani: national security threat

UNDER the Hasina regime, India allowed economic ties to get entangled with corruption and short-term gains. The Adani Group is exposed to serious allegations of running a monopoly of energy in Bangladesh with bloated prices, unfair contracts, and strategic risks.

The controversial energy deals, creating monopolistic control that mirrors another East India Company. In addition, Rahul Gandhi has raised concerns about Adani’s ties to Chinese logistics firms, further compromising India’s economic and security interests. It is undeniable that, by supporting regimes like Hasina’s, India has allowed strategic vulnerabilities to fester near its borders.

India’s silence on these issues raises uncomfortable questions on what it means by national security.

Why India needs to rethink narrative

INDIA’S support for Sheikh Hasina, even in her exile, has taken an insidious turn with narratives targeting the minorities in Bangladesh. Such narratives, cobbled together by her supporters and amplified by sympathetic elements in India, pose a twin threat: destabilising the very fabric of Bangladesh’s society and undermining India’s own reputation as a secular democracy.

Under Hasina’s leadership, Bangladesh’s minorities — Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and indigenous communities — have faced unprecedented repression. Ironically, her exile to India has not stopped such divisive rhetoric; rather, reported targeted propaganda in India and abroad points toward a campaign of sowing discord within Bangladesh by portraying the revolution as anti-minority while masking Hasina’s track record of enabling systemic discrimination and violence.

This is not a story confined to Bangladesh. In India, supporters of Hasina are using this propaganda to conflate her plight with communal agendas by falsely depicting her as a protector of the minorities and demonising the revolutionaries who toppled her tyrannical regime.

In allowing such narratives to gain traction, India risks entrenching itself in a dangerous position. Here’s why such rhetoric is counterproductive for India:

Undermining regional stability: Support for Hasina’s communal rhetoric is a blow to Bangladesh’s efforts to heal from the July uprising. If the communal tensions reignite, the instability will spill into India — especially in sensitive regions such as Assam, Tripura, and West Bengal, where communal fault lines already exist.

Against secular values: India used to pride itself on its secular democracy; therefore, even implicitly standing by a leader known to oppress minorities tarnishes this image. Continued support for this narrative weakens India’s moral standing and further fuels criticism from international human rights organisations.

Alienating future generations in Bangladesh: The Bangladeshi youths who fought for democracy and inclusivity during the July uprising now look at India with suspicion because of its apparent support for Hasina. This mistrust could sour future bilateral relations and reduce India’s influence in its neighbour’s affairs.

Undermining domestic cohesion: By allowing the rhetoric of Hasina to grow unstopped, it emboldens communal elements in India. Tensions between India’s own religious communities are threatened to be ignited, undermining domestic harmony and social cohesion.

India needs to take note of the larger significance of Hasina’s minority rhetoric and its potential to destabilise both countries. India should distance itself from Hasina’s propaganda machine and publicly reaffirm its support for Bangladesh’s democratic aspirations, including the protection of minorities. Counter Hasina’s false narratives with the proof of the inclusiveness of the uprising through the stories of Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and Buddhists united against tyranny and engage in fact-based diplomacy.

Defining moment for South Asia

INDIA now stands at a historic juncture. Will India rise to the occasion, supporting Bangladesh’s democratic rebirth, or will it cling to alliances that undermine its values and interests? Its actions in Bangladesh are not just a test of diplomatic finesse but of its commitment to its own identity as the world’s largest democracy. The choice is stark: to stand with the democratic aspirations of Bangladesh’s people or tacitly to endorse a discredited autocracy sowing division and oppression.

Sheikh Hasina’s rule represents a world, one where there has been corruption, repression, and fear. The blood-stained streets of the July Revolution call for another kind of future. Taking Sheikh Hasina into custody and pulling down her propaganda machinery would signal that India respects justice and human rights and also proves willing to be a principled regional leader.

Its credibility with allies, its image as a secular democracy, and its ability to cooperate with South Asian countries all depend on its ability to shed outdated, manipulative tactics. In standing with the people of Bangladesh, in supporting their democratic rebirth, India can secure a partnership based on trust. The stakes are high. The eyes of the world are upon us. History will remember if India chose courage over convenience, justice over expediency, and unity over division. The time for half-measures has gone. Now is the time to lead with bold, unequivocal action.

Abu Rushd is president of the Institute of Strategy and Tactics Research. M Zakir Hossain Khan serves as director of nature and integrity and Salman Chowdhury is director of national security and external affairs at the ISTR.​

 

[Saif]

Protests against India continue in Bangladesh

Different organisations on Thursday staged demonstrations protesting at Indian aggression and also against the attack on the Bangladesh assistant high commission in India’s Agartala.

www.newagebd.net

Protests against India continue in Bangladesh
Staff Correspondent 13 December, 2024, 01:01

New Age photo

Different organisations on Thursday staged demonstrations protesting at Indian aggression and also against the attack on the Bangladesh assistant high commission in India’s Agartala.

The protesters slammed Indian Hindutva group for the attack on Bangladesh mission, desecration of the national flag, spreading false propaganda and aggression on Bangladesh.

Nationalist Democratic Movement held a flag displaying programme in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka protesting at Indian aggression.

NDM chairperson Bobby Hajjaj said, ‘We are not against India but against Indian aggression, propaganda of Indian media and dominating attitude of Indian government.’

Many young people from Indian universities expressed solidarity with the student-led mass uprising in Bangladesh which made Narendra Modi-led government afraid that such a movement could crystalise against them one day, he mentioned.

‘That is why they are creating religious agitation through their loyal media to mislead these young people,’ said Bobby.

He also hoped that Bangladesh could establish a relationship based on dignity and fairness with India in the upcoming days shifting away from Sheikh Hasina’s submissive policies.

NDM secretary general Mominul Amin said that people of Bangladesh would not tolerate any aggression of India.

Ziaur Rahman Social Welfare Council also organised a rally in front of the National Press Club protesting at the Indian hegemony.

The council president Gias Uddin Khokon said that Hasina-led Awami League pursue its fascist regime with the support of India and served the interest of India in return.

Modi government cannot accept the fall of Hasina and is plotting conspiracies to destabilise Bangladesh, said Khokon, adding that people in the country will foil any conspiracies together.

Khokon also demanded that Bangladesh government cancel all unequal agreements with India signed during AL rule.

Protests spread in Dhaka as elsewhere across the country hours after the Bangladesh mission in Agartala came under attack by a group of Indians on December 2 during their protests, demanding the release of Hindu community leader in Bangladesh Chinmoy Krishna Das, now in jail in a sedition case.

The protests in Bangladesh gradually turned into protests at Indian aggression in Bangladesh following remarks of different political leaders in India.

Meanwhile, Urdu speaking people in Bangladesh staged demonstrations protesting at repression on Muslims in India and urged the United Nations to take steps against the oppression.

Bangladesh Bihari Rehabilitation Assembly held a protest procession from Mirpur-10 to United Nations Development Programme, Bangladesh office on Begum Rokeya Sarani, Dhaka.

The organisation president Niaz Ahmed Khan claimed that Modi-led Hindutva group was conducting oppression on Muslims and attacking mosques in India.

Joint secretary general of the organisation Kutub Uddin said that Modi government was also plotting to destroy communal harmony in Bangladesh.

‘Indian conspiracies must come to an end,’ said Kutub.​

 

[Saif]

A retired Major General of the Indian army has drawn a new map of Bangladesh. I would like to share it with you guys. Please click on the link below:

Major general GD Bakshi : বাংলাদেশ থেকে আলাদা হবে হিন্দু দেশ

Major general GD Bakshi : বাংলাদেশ থেকে আলাদা হবে হিন্দু দেশ , হিন্দু নিধন রুখতে একমাত্র উপায় এটাই

khabarepratibad.com

 

[Vsdoc]

A retired Major General of the Indian army has drawn a new map of Bangladesh. I would like to share it with you guys. Please click on the link below:

Major general GD Bakshi : বাংলাদেশ থেকে আলাদা হবে হিন্দু দেশ

Major general GD Bakshi : বাংলাদেশ থেকে আলাদা হবে হিন্দু দেশ , হিন্দু নিধন রুখতে একমাত্র উপায় এটাই

khabarepratibad.com

All we need, is a 20 km strip of land.

The rest will be left as the world's largest holding cell.

 

[Saif]

All we need, is a 20 km strip of land.

Forceful occupation of a neighbor's land is considered a heinous crime. All you need is 20k lashes for supporting Major General Bakshi's plan to disintegrate Bangladesh.

 

[Krishna with Flute]

@Bilal9

Billoo, Godi Media is an offensive slur designed to irk a majority of Indian nationalists.

Please do not keep using that offensive term.

Come on sir, It is OK. Nothing is wrong when @Bilal9 uses such words. There should be some salt and spices in discussion. We are not diplomat. Much more offensive languages is used here than Godi Media. It is OK.

 

[Guru Dutt]

@Bilal9

Billoo, Godi Media is an offensive slur designed to irk a majority of Indian nationalists.

Please do not keep using that offensive term.

Infact Godi Media is term used for thoe media outlets that no longer tough the dictats of communist and english media nerrative set by the Congress led ecosystem whch in fact is controlled by DEEP STATE whose postor boy is George Soros & Gretta Thunburg

 

[Vsdoc]

Forceful occupation of a neighbor's land is considered a heinous crime. All you need is 20k lashes for supporting Major General Bakshi's plan to disintegrate Bangladesh.

Your entire nation is a gift from us.

We decide what to keep of it, should we wish to.

There is no statute of limitation that lapses post 1971.

Not when you have a victorious army camped on your soil, saving your lungis (remember the photos?), and then letting you have a nation on top of it, after saving you from genocide and mass rape.

Don't act bigger than your boots Saif.

There is a saying in hindi/punjabi about tatte and their aukat.

No matter how big they get, they always remain below the flag mast.

 

[Vsdoc]

Infact Godi Media is term used for thoe media outlets that no longer tough the dictats of communist and english media nerrative set by the Congress led ecosystem whch in fact is controlled by DEEP STATE whose postor boy is George Soros & Gretta Thunburg

Sure

 

[Vsdoc]

Forceful occupation of a neighbor's land is considered a heinous crime. All you need is 20k lashes for supporting Major General Bakshi's plan to disintegrate Bangladesh.

There will be no disintegration.

Gen Bakshi's fertile fantasies notwithstanding.

What India will ensure though is the military and economic well-being of its sovereign territory.

By force if necessary.

 

[Krishna with Flute]

India’s manipulative diplomacy

THE recent visit of India’s foreign secretary to Dhaka came at a time charged with transformative potential and stakes that are unrivalled. To Bangladesh, the July uprising is more than just a tectonic shift; it’s a declaration of people’s will against tyranny, it is a beacon for nations under...

www.newagebd.net

India’s manipulative diplomacy
Abu Rushd, M Zakir Hossain and Salman Chowdhury 11 December, 2024, 21:43

THE recent visit of India’s foreign secretary to Dhaka came at a time charged with transformative potential and stakes that are unrivalled. To Bangladesh, the July uprising is more than just a tectonic shift; it’s a declaration of people’s will against tyranny, it is a beacon for nations under oppression, and it is a call for unification.

For India, it is a moment of truth that will say whether it can look beyond manipulative diplomacy and move in tandem with the winds of change blowing across South Asia.

The decisions India took during this visit will have an impact far beyond Dhaka; it will define how the world views the region’s largest democracy as it charts a delicate Indo-Pacific and grapples with its own domestic discontent.

Manipulative diplomacy vs transparent leadership

THE fact that India will allow Sheikh Hasina to make a public statement from its soil before this visit is deeply problematic. It reflects an attempt to use her voice as a veiled threat to Bangladesh’s interim government before this visit, something not befitting the world’s largest democracy; it is rather a page out of the playbook of wily authoritarian states.

There are reasons why this strategy backfires:

Generation resilience: The Bangladeshi youth who went out unarmed against live ammunition will not be deterred by pressure tactics. This is a generation that, still unarmed, has defied snipers and APCs; they scoff at manipulative diplomacy.

Loss of trust: It only increases the lack of trust between India and the people of Bangladesh, spoiling the goodwill the relation ought to have.

For India to secure its place as a good neighbour, it must abandon such antiquated policy and adopt an evenhanded, transparent policy working in harmony with the sovereignty and desires of Bangladesh.

Line in the sand

INDIA needs to realise that the way it is treating Sheikh Hasina and her ousted regime at present may cause irreparable damage to its relations with the interim government, future governments, and, most importantly, the people of Bangladesh. The time for appeasement is over. It is a diplomatic and moral necessity now to arrest Sheikh Hasina immediately and put a halt on her ability to incite further violence in Bangladesh. All the members of her regime now hiding in India should be properly investigated with actionable action against the persons found guilty of crimes against humanity. Extradition proceedings against them should commence without further ado. Only this will signal that the Indian government has respect for justice and human rights.

The interim government of Bangladesh is not an ordinary administration; it is a government born of the blood of the people. In the July uprising, more than 1,500 lives were lost and thousands more maimed. Among the dead were children as young as three, innocents caught in the crossfire of tyranny, irrespective of religious or political beliefs. This government is not bound by mere political promises but by an unshakeable obligation to those who gave up everything to free their nation from Sheikh Hasina’s autocracy.

For India to expect the same level of manipulability it once enjoyed under Hasina is a grave miscalculation. This government is not beholden to foreign appeasement or quiet deals; it is answerable to the people who fought unarmed against a regime armed to the teeth. Only if cooperation with India is prefaced by real deeds that demonstrate India’s commitment to justice and democracy will it be viable. Arresting Hasina immediately would be a stepping stone towards that, nothing less than that.

India’s reputation on line

INDIA’S support for the autocratic regime of Sheikh Hasina does not happen in a vacuum but is under intense international scrutiny, mainly from Western democracies and human rights organisations. Such actions run the risk of erosion of global standing for any country that aspires to be a formidable nation in the Indo-Pacific and a beacon of democracy.

Much of India’s hold in the Indo-Pacific rests on its democratic credentials, which are already in question. By continuing to support Hasina, whose rule has been marked by electoral manipulation, human rights abuses, and suppression of minorities, India sends a contradictory message. These developments are being watched very closely by Western democracies, most especially by the US, Japan, and Australia. India’s tacit approval of Hasina’s oppressive tactics could weaken its position in alliances like the Quad.

The reputation of India as the ‘world’s largest democracy’ is already under question due to rising authoritarian tendencies domestically. Supporting a leader responsible for the deaths of 1,500 civilians during Bangladesh’s July uprising further erodes that perception. Human rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have already documented Hasina’s brutal crackdowns. India’s tacit approval not only sullies its democratic image but also bolsters accusations of complicity in these atrocities.

International attention is not merely rhetorical; it has real-world consequences. Global advocacy groups can magnify this censure, shaping foreign investments and partnerships. India needs to ask itself: Can it afford to be seen as the enabler of tyranny when the soft power of its reputation rests on its model of democracy?

Adani: national security threat

UNDER the Hasina regime, India allowed economic ties to get entangled with corruption and short-term gains. The Adani Group is exposed to serious allegations of running a monopoly of energy in Bangladesh with bloated prices, unfair contracts, and strategic risks.

The controversial energy deals, creating monopolistic control that mirrors another East India Company. In addition, Rahul Gandhi has raised concerns about Adani’s ties to Chinese logistics firms, further compromising India’s economic and security interests. It is undeniable that, by supporting regimes like Hasina’s, India has allowed strategic vulnerabilities to fester near its borders.

India’s silence on these issues raises uncomfortable questions on what it means by national security.

Why India needs to rethink narrative

INDIA’S support for Sheikh Hasina, even in her exile, has taken an insidious turn with narratives targeting the minorities in Bangladesh. Such narratives, cobbled together by her supporters and amplified by sympathetic elements in India, pose a twin threat: destabilising the very fabric of Bangladesh’s society and undermining India’s own reputation as a secular democracy.

Under Hasina’s leadership, Bangladesh’s minorities — Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and indigenous communities — have faced unprecedented repression. Ironically, her exile to India has not stopped such divisive rhetoric; rather, reported targeted propaganda in India and abroad points toward a campaign of sowing discord within Bangladesh by portraying the revolution as anti-minority while masking Hasina’s track record of enabling systemic discrimination and violence.

This is not a story confined to Bangladesh. In India, supporters of Hasina are using this propaganda to conflate her plight with communal agendas by falsely depicting her as a protector of the minorities and demonising the revolutionaries who toppled her tyrannical regime.

In allowing such narratives to gain traction, India risks entrenching itself in a dangerous position. Here’s why such rhetoric is counterproductive for India:

Undermining regional stability: Support for Hasina’s communal rhetoric is a blow to Bangladesh’s efforts to heal from the July uprising. If the communal tensions reignite, the instability will spill into India — especially in sensitive regions such as Assam, Tripura, and West Bengal, where communal fault lines already exist.

Against secular values: India used to pride itself on its secular democracy; therefore, even implicitly standing by a leader known to oppress minorities tarnishes this image. Continued support for this narrative weakens India’s moral standing and further fuels criticism from international human rights organisations.

Alienating future generations in Bangladesh: The Bangladeshi youths who fought for democracy and inclusivity during the July uprising now look at India with suspicion because of its apparent support for Hasina. This mistrust could sour future bilateral relations and reduce India’s influence in its neighbour’s affairs.

Undermining domestic cohesion: By allowing the rhetoric of Hasina to grow unstopped, it emboldens communal elements in India. Tensions between India’s own religious communities are threatened to be ignited, undermining domestic harmony and social cohesion.

India needs to take note of the larger significance of Hasina’s minority rhetoric and its potential to destabilise both countries. India should distance itself from Hasina’s propaganda machine and publicly reaffirm its support for Bangladesh’s democratic aspirations, including the protection of minorities. Counter Hasina’s false narratives with the proof of the inclusiveness of the uprising through the stories of Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and Buddhists united against tyranny and engage in fact-based diplomacy.

Defining moment for South Asia

INDIA now stands at a historic juncture. Will India rise to the occasion, supporting Bangladesh’s democratic rebirth, or will it cling to alliances that undermine its values and interests? Its actions in Bangladesh are not just a test of diplomatic finesse but of its commitment to its own identity as the world’s largest democracy. The choice is stark: to stand with the democratic aspirations of Bangladesh’s people or tacitly to endorse a discredited autocracy sowing division and oppression.

Sheikh Hasina’s rule represents a world, one where there has been corruption, repression, and fear. The blood-stained streets of the July Revolution call for another kind of future. Taking Sheikh Hasina into custody and pulling down her propaganda machinery would signal that India respects justice and human rights and also proves willing to be a principled regional leader.

Its credibility with allies, its image as a secular democracy, and its ability to cooperate with South Asian countries all depend on its ability to shed outdated, manipulative tactics. In standing with the people of Bangladesh, in supporting their democratic rebirth, India can secure a partnership based on trust. The stakes are high. The eyes of the world are upon us. History will remember if India chose courage over convenience, justice over expediency, and unity over division. The time for half-measures has gone. Now is the time to lead with bold, unequivocal action.

Abu Rushd is president of the Institute of Strategy and Tactics Research. M Zakir Hossain Khan serves as director of nature and integrity and Salman Chowdhury is director of national security and external affairs at the ISTR.​

Islam and democracy are not compatible with each other. All those radicals who topples the elected government say that the government which was elected was autocratic and the one which is air dropped by US deep state is democratic. Vinash kale viparit buddhihi.

 

[Bilal9]

Come on sir, It is OK. Nothing is wrong when @Bilal9 uses such words. There should be some salt and spices in discussion. We are not diplomat. Much more offensive languages is used here than Godi Media. It is OK.

The term was invented/popularized by a veteran Indian journalist Ravish Kumar and used extensively by current opposition in India in common political parlance. I don't know how it could be offensive, but as requested, will be seen as such by yours truly.

If Godi Media can be considered offensive, can Jamati be considered offensive too? Food for thought...

Godi media - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Bilal9]

Islam and democracy are not compatible with each other. All those radicals who topples the elected government say that the government which was elected was autocratic and the one which is air dropped by US deep state is democratic. Vinash kale viparit buddhihi.

Hasina's govt. WAS autocratic, which you Indians have little knowledge of.

Ballot boxes were filled with fake ballots at the stroke of midnight, it is well-documented. No one can call that democratic.

 

[Bilal9]

Your entire nation is a gift from us.

We decide what to keep of it, should we wish to.

There is no statute of limitation that lapses post 1971.

Not when you have a victorious army camped on your soil, saving your lungis (remember the photos?), and then letting you have a nation on top of it, after saving you from genocide and mass rape.

Don't act bigger than your boots Saif.

There is a saying in hindi/punjabi about tatte and their aukat.

No matter how big they get, they always remain below the flag mast.

Chest puffery notwithstanding, read the following from a Western perspective. Will be educational for you. This is only part of the Mukti Bahini narrative (400~500 frogmen), who did the majority of crucial work for Indian Army's showy success and drama of 1971. Think what would happen if these assets (now grown over a hundred fold) would work against you rather than for you.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lessons in Maritime Insurgency from the Mukti Bahini Freedom Fighters of 1971

Editor’s note: This article is part of Project Maritime, which explores modern challenges and opportunities in the maritime dimension at the intersection of irregular warfare and strategic competition. We warmly invite your participation and engagement as we embark on this project. Please send...

irregularwarfare.org

Lessons in Maritime Insurgency from the Mukti Bahini Freedom Fighters of 1971​

September 20, 2023 by Christopher Booth Leave a Comment

Editor’s note: This article is part of Project Maritime, which explores modern challenges and opportunities in the maritime dimension at the intersection of irregular warfare and strategic competition. We warmly invite your participation and engagement as we embark on this project. Please send submissions to submissions@irregularwarfare.org with the subject line “Project Maritime Submission” and follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @proj_maritime.

Between August and November 1971, amid the Bangladesh Liberation War, frogmen of the Bengali Mukti Bahini “Freedom Fighters” sank more than 100,000 tons of merchant shipping and damaged another 50,000 tons in their struggle for independence against the military regime of West Pakistan. These attacks left international shipping in what was then East Pakistan vulnerable and practically uninsurable. They knocked out power plants, destroyed bridges, severed the military’s sea lines of communication, and brought production and export of its major crops (tea and jute) to a near standstill. In a remarkable feat, a little more than 500 men, trained and equipped in a covert action program by Indian Naval Intelligence, had an outsized impact on the conflict. With a growing emphasis on asymmetric maritime options in modern resistance campaigns against conventionally superior adversaries such as Russia and China, the frogmen of the Mukti Bahini provide a relevant, yet underexplored, model at the intersection of modern maritime irregular operations and proxy warfare. The actions of the “Water Rats” demonstrate the impact that a small, but sufficiently resourced covert action campaign can have in support of an enthusiastic and motivated resistance movement.

With parallels to recent maritime raids, attacks, and reconnaissance activity conducted by Ukrainian regular, irregular, paramilitary, and special operations forces (including the Ukrainian Maritime Special Operators of the 73rd Spetsnaz), the Mukti Bahini frogmen demonstrated the outsized operational impact that a campaign of tactical maritime attacks could have in a theater. As an irregular guerrilla force, the frogmen planned and carried out independent operations while also being the beneficiaries of equipment and training provided clandestinely by Indian naval intelligence. The success of the Mukti Bahini frogmen was not a result of superior equipment, but instead based on their daring, their knowledge of the local environment, and the ability to leverage these skills to maximize their impact against enemy maritime targets (similar to Ukraine’s successful strikes against the Moskva, Kerch Bridge, a landing ship in the Russian port of Novorossiysk; and the recent cruise missile strikes in Crimea that critically damaged another landing ship and a Kilo-class submarine). The impact of the frogmen on Pakistan’s ability to support its forces in Bangladesh and the larger Pakistani economy is a bright chapter in the slim volume of successful irregular maritime campaigns, demonstrating how effective India’s Directorate of Naval Intelligence’s covert action program was (an operation that only in recent years has India begun to acknowledge).

The Mukti Bahini have largely been overlooked in Western professional literature, and in particular their naval element – generally referred to as Mukti Bahini frogmen – has received scant attention. This oversight is especially noteworthy in contrast to the attention devoted to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and their “Sea Tigers” who are regularly discussed as an exemplar for a maritime irregular force, despite being ultimately unsuccessful in obtaining a Tamil homeland. That Mukti Bahini frogmen conducted combat operations for less than a year (and were eclipsed even in Bangladeshi memory by the actions of the guerrilla forces on land, many of whom later led the government), in what was for the West largely an unfamiliar area of the world, may have contributed to their relative obscurity. But sufficient material is now available to allow for a deeper investigation of this maritime campaign. Sources include English-language memoirs from Bengali and Indian participants, contemporaneous articles from foreign correspondents, declassified records from the British Foreign Office (which include the later Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) records), and documents made available in the CIA’s Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room.

To better understand the role played by the maritime element of the Bengali guerrillas this article will first provide historical context for the broader liberation struggle. Thereafter, it will consider the Mukti Bahini’s naval campaign against the forces of West Pakistan. Finally, the piece will evaluate any continued salience from this historical example from half-a-century ago in this new high-tech era of drones, global communications, AI, and great power competition.

1971: Crisis engulfs the Indian subcontinent

Now as then, a debate continues on how to frame the conflict that led to an independent Bangladesh. For Bengalis it was their foundational struggle. For Pakistan’s military and political elite an apparent betrayal by their strategic allies: the United States, and China. To India, the war in East Pakistan was perhaps a mere secondary theater in India’s ongoing and protracted conflict with Pakistan. Even minor parties, had roles in the margins of the conflict, such as the Mizo rebels from India’s restive Northeast who were sheltered by Pakistan, or the “Phantoms of Chittagong” the Tibetan Special Frontier Force who rather than helping liberate their homeland from China’s People’s Liberation Army conducted commando raids against Pakistani troops in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

The fighting in Bangladesh also provided a Cold War sideshow, with India signing the Indo-Soviet Friendship Treaty with the Soviet Union in 1971 as a counter-weight to the US, the United Kingdom, and China – which India saw aligning against it. India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru was a founder of the “non-aligned movement” and reticent to be too closely tied to the United States; this treaty with the Soviet Union helped further deepen India’s ties to Russia and reliance on Russian military equipment, which continued for generations. (The US had also equipped Pakistan with substantial armaments, furthering India’s concerns.)

Following the partition of India in 1947, the nation of Pakistan was created with two wings: West Pakistan (now the nation of Pakistan) and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), separated by the near entirety of the Indian subcontinent. The two enclaves shared only Islam in common, and were divided by language, ethnicity, with different histories and a lack of shared culture. The Punjabi elite who ran West Pakistan generally looked down upon the Bengalis in the East as peasants and rice farmers lacking martial valor. In 1948, Islamabad declared Urdu the only official language of Pakistan. On February 21, 1952, the military opened fire on Bengali students demonstrating in favor of using Bangla at Dacca university, killing several and wounding hundreds. (Bangladesh commemorates this date as foundational in their struggle, and the United Nations has recognized February 21st as “International Mother Language Day.” In December 1970, after years of lack of investment and economic serfdom by West Pakistan (which East Pakistan’s population outnumbered), and in an effort to demonstrate their political power, the Bengalis voted as a unified voting bloc supporting the Awami League (led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman – father of Bangladesh’s current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed). The population of East Pakistan captured 167 of 311 seats in the Pakistani parliament. Largely influenced by then foreign minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, later to be Prime Minister and also father of slain Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the military junta decided in March 1971 to arrest Rahman and Awami League leadership, and instituted a violent crackdown: Operation Searchlight, which sought to break resistance and involved wanton execution, torture, and mass rape. While most Bengalis are Muslim, religion was not the defining focus, instead the Bangla language became an organizing principle of the independence movement.

With millions of refugees flooding into India, as early as April 1971, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi requested military options to invade East Pakistan to depose the Pakistani government there. Chief of the Indian Army, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw asked for a delay until December to both allow for his forces to be properly trained and staged, and to avoid invading the Bengali floodplains during monsoon season. Supporting the Bengali insurgency in the interim served to degrade Pakistan’s forces and bought time for well-planned Indian assault during more favorable conditions.

Indian Goals

While India has historically sought to portray its involvement in the 1971 war as a selfless undertaking, conducted on humanitarian grounds, India had its own strategic objectives as well. An obvious concern was the influx of 10 million refugees destabilizing its borders, the largest number to flee war in recorded history. Academic literature suggests that refugees themselves may serve as a catalyst for interstate conflict, and this conflict was no exception. The Indian military sought a more dramatic victory than the inconclusive result of the war with Pakistan in 1965, to demonstrate its arrival as a modern military that could execute combined arms operations (both the Indian Air Force and Navy felt shortchanged in the 1965 war). India also sought to stamp out Pakistani (and Chinese) covert support to guerrillas fighting in India’s Northeastern provinces.

A significant development from India’s loss to China in their 1962 war was the development of India’s external intelligence service, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW or RAW).

In 1965, the head of Indian military intelligence proposed the creation of an agency to gather foreign and military intelligence. In September 1968, RAW was established, drawing much of its staff from the internal service – the Intelligence Bureau. Its first chief, Rameshwar Nath Kao, laid out two priority tasks: (1) collect intelligence on Pakistan and China, and (2) prepare to conduct covert action in East Pakistan. A key goal was to disrupt Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence’s support to separatist groups fighting in India’s northeastern “Seven Sisters” provinces. ISI allowed training camps in East Pakistan, and by 1968 Chinese intelligence was also providing aid as well.

Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, had largely eliminated India’s covert action capability, focusing instead on internal security. With the establishment of RAW, the Indian government reversed this decision, and granted RAW a covert action mandate. Nehru’s daughter – Prime Minister Indira Gandhi – saw a larger opportunity to truncate Pakistan through covert action by training and equipping Bengali guerrillas to break East Pakistan off from West Pakistan. This campaign would also buy India six-months to posture its forces to invade while it bled the Pakistani defenders and drained their supplies. Notably, in his memoirs, one of the founders of RAW, B. Rahman, wrote that one of the purposes of India’s support for the Bengali rebels was “to put an end to the activities of the ISI in India’s North-East from East Pakistan.”

Supporting the Mukti Bahini

In early 1971, the Indian Army began to undertake Operation Jackpot, a plan to train and equip up to 100,000 Mukti Bahini in India, providing four-to-six weeks of training in small arms, light automatic weapons, mortars and explosives. The Mukti Bahini were divided into conventional forces, and a guerrilla element. The RAW primarily focused on training 10,000 of the Mujib Bahini – a cadre arising from the Awami League’s student organization.

The Indian Navy, sensitive to the minor roles it had played in past conflicts, sought to take the fight to Pakistan across two fronts: via conventional naval ships, and secondly through development of an irregular maritime capability made up by Bengali insurgents. Chief of the Indian Naval Staff Admiral Sardarilal M. Nanda and the Director of Naval Intelligence (DNI) then-Captain Mihir K. Roy recognized the importance of the sea lines of communication for West Pakistan’s ability to reinforce its military in the East, the sole means of transporting jet fuel, gasoline for its tanks, ammunition, and food staples. Thus, they established “Naval Operations X” to train, equip, and mentor a Bengali frogman program. The DNI sketched out an initial concept to train Water Rats, his concept of “small, aggressive predators” who would strike from the rivers and littorals. Ultimately, “Operation X” or Naval Commando Operation X (NCO(X)) trained some 400 Bengali frogmen in combat swimming and diving, demolition, and sabotage – primarily using limpet mines. The majority of these frogmen were chosen from a base of educated student refugees who were young and fit. They were selected to return to regions where they had geographic knowledge.

Foundations of the Mukti Bahini

The Mukti Bahini began as a conventional force of volunteers from the East Bengal Regiment, an infantry regiment, and East Pakistan Rifles, a border constabulary – now known as Border Guard Bangladesh, who revolted against Islamabad’s Army. Officers who defected included Colonel M.A.G. Osmani who commanded Mukti Bahini forces in Bangladesh, and Major Zia-ur-Rahman who later served as President of Bangladesh (his widow, Khaleda, has subsequently twice served as Prime Minister). On March 26, 1971 Islamabad banned the Awami League, declared the independence leader Sheikh Rahman a traitor and imposed martial law in East Pakistan. In response, the second-in-command of the East Bengal Rifles, Zia Ur-Rahman declared Bengali independence in a radio broadcast.

The Mukti Bahini frogmen had a more unusual genesis than their land-based counterparts. Word of the crackdown and independence movement reached the French naval base in Toulon, where a Bengali naval telegraph operator named Abdul Wahed Chowdhury learned of it. Chowdhury served on PNS Mangro, Pakistan’s third and newly acquired French Daphné-class submarine, and was part of the crew being trained by the French navy on how to operate it. Not wanting to attack other Bengalis, Chowdhury mobilized other Bengali crewmen who fled France, aided by Indian diplomats, to a secret jungle training site in India’s West Bengal state where they made up the founding core of the Mukti Bahini frogmen. Over a long career, Chowdhury went on to serve as Director of Naval Intelligence for Bangladesh.

As the last hours of 14 August 1971 ticked away, 176 frogmen attacked targets across modern day Bangladesh. NCO(X) chose Pakistan’s independence day to initiate the campaign, which they did through a series of songs broadcast on an Indian radio station. The combat swimmers were armed with limpet mines and equipped solely with dive fins, swim trunks, and dive knives to remove barnacles and allow their bombs to adhere to boat hulls six feet below the waterline. In an hour, 25 vessels had been struck, with 44,500 tons sunk and another 14,000 tons damaged. Vessels included: merchant ships, naval gunboats, and oil tankers. The attacks buoyed the morale of the Mukti Bahini ground forces, and resulted in an immediate reallocation of Pakistani troops. No longer focused on solely on a land-based counterinsurgency, Pakistani infantry was redeployed to port and river security missions. (Chowdhury and two other insurgents were nearly captured in the days before the raid, as they were visiting various frogmen in safe houses, and stopped. Luckily for them, the wife of one of conspirators had insisted on coming along, and this ruse helped eliminate suspicion and the guards let their vehicle pass.)

The frogmen became a tool for maritime trade warfare, cutting off valuable exports, and striking at the heart of Pakistani military logistics. Forty-five vessels were struck in the five-month campaign, sinking over 100,000 tons of shipping. Declassified British FCO records document internal government discussions, debates with shippers, and ultimately rates issued by Lloyds of London in consultation with the War Risks Club, that effectively made trade uninsurable. As their campaign gained steam Mukti Bahini naval attacks became more brazen, moving from mining ships to using speedboats to attack power plants and foreign vessels attempting to navigate narrow channels to reach the sea. Modern observers may note a similar evolution in Ukrainian tactics and operations as the war in Ukraine has evolved over 18 months.

By November 1971, the British Prime Minister was tracking the issue closely, after a British vessel the City of St. Albans carrying 5,000 tons of jute was attacked by boats firing Bofors-type recoilless rifles. That month CIA informed policymakers that jute exports had been reduced by more than 50 percent, tea production was under a quarter of the year prior, and even this “small amount will not reach the ports” unless the military could secure transportation routes. By December, analysts noted that the attacks on oil deliveries to Chittagong had limited East Pakistan to under 30 days’ supply at the outset of hostilities with India.

Backbreaking under the waterline

Much like a shaped charge, the Water Rats of the Mukti Bahini demonstrate the impact that a small, well-trained, and deadly force can have in maritime conflict. Operation X also illustrates the value of a properly scoped and focused covert action campaign using a foreign proxy force can have in support of larger strategic objectives (in this case to buy India’s Army greater time to prepare for combat, and degrade Pakistan’s forces in advance of India’s invasion of East Pakistan). While ultimately not decisive on its own, the maritime campaign nevertheless played a critical role in providing breathing space for the guerrilla ground troops. It also damaged Pakistani morale and reduced the number of Pakistani forces that could conduct operations against the land-based Mukti Bahini forces, as soldiers were diverted to harbor patrols and river security. Furthermore, their actions sapped the Pakistani economy and softened up Pakistani forces in the East prior to the Indian invasion. Indian training and equipping of a mere 400 to 500 insurgents had an outsized influence in the conflict. The frogmen operated without even SCUBA gear; at most they used flippers and some reeds as snorkels. Teams operated with limited guidance, and frequently executed attacks on their own initiative as communication with the Indian navy was either one-way, via radio broadcasts or hand-carried messages. This avoidance of technology, reliance on area knowledge, and local support and foraging made them very difficult to detect by Pakistani forces. Limpet mines were cheap, yet effective, not only sinking ships but holding others at risk: International shippers and insurance companies were unwilling to hazard their risk against multi-million-dollar ships and cargoes. Western militaries should consider the value of identifying motivated and educated volunteers without military backgrounds (a factor Russian forces have looked for at checkpoints and when seizing Ukrainian towns). One-way broadcasts, such as the songs played on Indian radio, have downsides, but can also provide an unbreakable code for sending messages to guerrillas. For these and many other reasons, the Bengali frogmen and their successful maritime campaign are worthy of additional study.

Christopher D. Booth served on active duty as an Army armor and cavalry officer and was a fellow in the General Robert H. Barrow Fellowship for Strategic Competition and the Brute Krulak Center for Innovation & Creativity.

 

[Krishna with Flute]

The term was invented/popularized by a veteran Indian journalist Ravish Kumar and used extensively by current opposition in India in common political parlance. I don't know how it could be offensive, but as requested, will be seen as such by yours truly.

If Godi Media can be considered offensive, can Jamati be considered offensive too? Food for thought...

Godi media - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

That is why I supported you when you used the word "Godi media".

 

[Bilal9]

That is why I supported you when you used the word "Godi media".

Thanks brother. Hindu or Muslim, it is all incumbent upon us to communicate and get the real story.

In Bangladeshi temples, saffron dhwajas will fly, bells and shankha will sound. Church bells will ring.

In mosques, people will go to Namaaz. Buddhists will prostrate to Buddha.

We can all live in peace and prosper with being brothers and sisters.

Let peace prevail.

 

[Krishna with Flute]

Thanks brother. Hindu or Muslim, it is all incumbent upon us to communicate and get the real story.

In Bangladeshi temples, saffron dhwajas will fly, bells and shankha will sound. Church bells will ring.

In mosques, people will go to Namaaz. Buddhists will prostrate to Buddha.

We can all live in peace and prosper with being brothers and sisters.

Let peace prevail.

A very good wish and I wish everyone thinks like this. However, the realities and history of Islam and Muslims are different. Abrahamic religions are not religions in reality but they are political ideologies. They have inherent hater towards other religions and that is why expecting anything fair or friendly from it is like expecting sun to rise from West.

 

[Bilal9]

Misri also clarified that, contrary to media reports, the Professor Muhammad Yunus-led interim government did not raise issues regarding reviewing any agreements with India.

Well I believe at this time, more communication with top level Indian political functionaries, such as Shashi Tharoor (who is more sane and educated in their parliament) - is the "mature" thing to do, instead of totally upsetting the apple cart for Indo-Bangla relations.

Bangladesh needs to do the level best to truncate activities of "Bazaar-Garam" activists like Shuvendu Adhikari, who I hear is not in the BJP leadership's good books any longer.



De-escalating the mudslinging language war at this time is of utmost importance.

At the same time- Bangladesh needs to diversify its import sources to include Pakistan, especially for agri imports.

 

[Bilal9]

A very good wish and I wish everyone thinks like this. However, the realities and history of Islam and Muslims are different. Abrahamic religions are not religions in reality but they are political ideologies. They have inherent hater towards other religions and that is why expecting anything fair or friendly from it is like expecting sun to rise from West.

Religion in Arabia and the subcontinent are not the same thing.

In Bangladesh majority of Muslim population are Sufi people, whose relations with their Hindu brothers and sisters have been harmonious historically. There have been occasional flareups - but they were at the perpetration of 'faida-lootnewallahs'.

If you have never visited Bangladesh, you need to visit sometime to see for yourself, instead of propaganda.

Krishna In Indo-Muslim Mystical Tradition: For Muslim Mystics, He Was 'Hazrat Krishna', An Ancient Prophet Sent To The Indian Subcontinent | Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi, New Age Islam

Get all the news and views on Rethinking Islamic Religion, preventing radicalisation and de-radicalisation. New Age Islam brings modern Muslims closer to the original ideals and spirit of Islam & Rethink on Islam. Visit us today!

www.newageislam.com

 

[Saif]

Misri’s visit to help advance Dhaka-Delhi relationships

India yesterday said Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s recent visit to Dhaka would help sustain and advance ties between the two countries.

www.thedailystar.net

Misri’s visit to help advance Dhaka-Delhi relationships
Says Indian MEA

India yesterday said Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri's recent visit to Dhaka would help sustain and advance ties between the two countries.

Asked at the weekly media briefing to comment on Misri's talks with Bangladesh's interim government, Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said, "It is our understanding that the foreign secretary's visit will help in sustaining the bilateral engagement between India and Bangladesh to address concerns as well as advance the substantive issues in the relationship."

Jaiswal said the readout issued by the MEA on Misri's statement to the media in Dhaka, which emphasised continuing the mutually beneficial cooperation between India and Bangladesh. The MEA also emphasised India's desire to work closely with the interim government and relayed New Delhi's concerns, including those related to the safety and welfare of minorities.

Jaiswal said that while in Dhaka, Misri took up the issue of what India said were attacks on minorities in Bangladesh with the leaders of that country and stressed that it was in Bangladesh's own interest to protect the minorities.

Highlighting the impact of the visit, Jaiswal said, a day after Misri's Dhaka visit, Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh Shafiqul Alam issued a statement mentioning that 88 incidents of attacks on minorities had taken place and 70 people had been arrested in connection with them.

The MEA spokesman said, "It is our expectation from the Bangladesh government that it will do the needful [to protect minorities]."

Asked about Indian newspapers' reports that the foreign secretary conveyed to a parliamentary standing committee on December 11 that New Delhi does not endorse ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina's comments while staying in India, Jaiswal said, "It is not our practice to comment on speculative and selective reports about privileged matters."

He said the parliamentary standing committee on the Ministry of External Affairs is a privileged forum.

Asked about the reported suggestion by some members of the parliamentary standing committee about the possibility of a visit to Bangladesh by an Indian political delegation, Jaiswal said, "I do not want to comment on the parliamentary committee's proceedings."

Replying to a query on media reports about Bangladesh's alleged deployment of Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones along the border with India, Jaiswal said, "We have seen the reports which came out recently, but we are unable to confirm their authenticity."​

 

[Saif]

India responsible for tensed relations between India-Bangladesh: Nur

Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nurul Haque Nur on Friday said that India is responsible for the tensed relation between India-Bangladesh as India cannot use this interim government like Awami League. “India is continuing its aggression and dominance over Bangladesh to destabilize the countr

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

India responsible for tensed relations between India-Bangladesh: Nur
BSS
Published :
Dec 13, 2024 21:24
Updated :
Dec 13, 2024 21:24

Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nurul Haque Nur on Friday said that India is responsible for the tensed relation between India-Bangladesh as India cannot use this interim government like Awami League.

“India is continuing its aggression and dominance over Bangladesh to destabilize the country’s Interim Government. India is responsible for the tensed relations between India-Bangladesh as India cannot use the incumbent Interim Government like Awami League,” he said a national youth rally in front of the Jatiya Press Club (JPC) in Dhaka on Friday.

Bangladesh Jubo Odhikar Parishad organized the rally protesting Indian aggression and domination. After holding rally, a procession was started in front of Jatiya Press Club and ended at Bijoynagar.

About India’s conspiracies to destabilize Bangladesh, Nurul Haque Nur said the Indian media and political society are trying to prove that communal riots are going on in Bangladesh in a planned manner.

He urged the international media including Indian media to come to Bangladesh and investigate all the allegations regarding communal riot and then present the actual facts.

“No communal attack is taking place in Bangladesh,” he said, adding that some isolated incidents happened due to political reasons.

Talking about India’s domination, he said: “If India shows reluctance to share waters of 54 common rivers between the two countries and does not give a fair share of water of the Teesta River, then Bangladesh should deal agreement with China to ensure its legitimate share.”

Nur said all agreements between Bangladesh-India should be made public.

Criticizing the killing of the Border Security Force (BSF), he said the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) should give befitting reply to BSF’s encounter on the border.

With Bangladesh Jubo Odhikar Parishad president Manjur Morshed Mamun in the chair the rally was addressed among others by Gono Odhikar Parishad General Secretary Rashed Khan, vice president Rahul Islam and senior leaders Abu Hanif and Advocate Sarkar Nur Ershad Siddiqui.​

 

[Saif]

Rizwana for clearing political clouds over Bangladesh-India ties

We cannot deny the impact of the recent movement in our nation while building friendly ties with India, she says

en.prothomalo.com

Rizwana for clearing political clouds over Bangladesh-India ties
UNB
Dhaka
Published: 13 Dec 2024, 17: 09

Environment, forest and climate change adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan has underscored the importance of clearing the political clouds that once overshadowed Bangladesh-India relations, emphasising the need for fostering a harmonious partnership between the two nations.

“The political clouds that once overshadowed our relations with India had to be cleared in the interest of both nations,” she said while speaking at an awareness and driver retraining programme on noise pollution control in the capital on Friday.

While acknowledging the historical significance of Bangladesh’s recent mass uprising, Rizwana stressed the importance of balancing this legacy with a forward-looking approach to bilateral relations.

“We cannot deny the impact of the recent movement in our nation while building friendly ties with India,” she added.

Noise Pollution and Environmental Initiatives

Rizwana announced that the noise pollution control act will soon be published as a gazette, reinforcing legal measures to combat noise pollution and protect public health.

“Efforts are underway to finalise the necessary steps, and the act will be published shortly,” she said.

Political Reforms

Rizwana also questioned the lack of progress in political reforms, urging political parties to take accountability for decades of stagnation.​

 

[Bilal9]

India responsible for tensed relations between India-Bangladesh: Nur

Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nurul Haque Nur on Friday said that India is responsible for the tensed relation between India-Bangladesh as India cannot use this interim government like Awami League. “India is continuing its aggression and dominance over Bangladesh to destabilize the countr

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

India responsible for tensed relations between India-Bangladesh: Nur
BSS
Published :
Dec 13, 2024 21:24
Updated :
Dec 13, 2024 21:24

View attachment 11645

Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nurul Haque Nur on Friday said that India is responsible for the tensed relation between India-Bangladesh as India cannot use this interim government like Awami League.

“India is continuing its aggression and dominance over Bangladesh to destabilize the country’s Interim Government. India is responsible for the tensed relations between India-Bangladesh as India cannot use the incumbent Interim Government like Awami League,” he said a national youth rally in front of the Jatiya Press Club (JPC) in Dhaka on Friday.

Bangladesh Jubo Odhikar Parishad organized the rally protesting Indian aggression and domination. After holding rally, a procession was started in front of Jatiya Press Club and ended at Bijoynagar.

About India’s conspiracies to destabilize Bangladesh, Nurul Haque Nur said the Indian media and political society are trying to prove that communal riots are going on in Bangladesh in a planned manner.

He urged the international media including Indian media to come to Bangladesh and investigate all the allegations regarding communal riot and then present the actual facts.

“No communal attack is taking place in Bangladesh,” he said, adding that some isolated incidents happened due to political reasons.

Talking about India’s domination, he said: “If India shows reluctance to share waters of 54 common rivers between the two countries and does not give a fair share of water of the Teesta River, then Bangladesh should deal agreement with China to ensure its legitimate share.”

Nur said all agreements between Bangladesh-India should be made public.

Criticizing the killing of the Border Security Force (BSF), he said the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) should give befitting reply to BSF’s encounter on the border.

With Bangladesh Jubo Odhikar Parishad president Manjur Morshed Mamun in the chair the rally was addressed among others by Gono Odhikar Parishad General Secretary Rashed Khan, vice president Rahul Islam and senior leaders Abu Hanif and Advocate Sarkar Nur Ershad Siddiqui.​

I am sorry - but this Noor guy is maybe not so relevant. Who is he to comment on anything? I remember him going to Hasina, asking for her support and tutelage. Beganee shadi mei Abdullah diwana.

 

[Krishna with Flute]

Religion in Arabia and the subcontinent are not the same thing.

In Bangladesh majority of Muslim population are Sufi people, whose relations with their Hindu brothers and sisters have been harmonious historically. There have been occasional flareups - but they were at the perpetration of 'faida-lootnewallahs'.

If you have never visited Bangladesh, you need to visit sometime to see for yourself, instead of propaganda.

Krishna In Indo-Muslim Mystical Tradition: For Muslim Mystics, He Was 'Hazrat Krishna', An Ancient Prophet Sent To The Indian Subcontinent | Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi, New Age Islam

Get all the news and views on Rethinking Islamic Religion, preventing radicalisation and de-radicalisation. New Age Islam brings modern Muslims closer to the original ideals and spirit of Islam & Rethink on Islam. Visit us today!

www.newageislam.com

No matter from which sect you are, you worship same god, same prophet and believe in same book which is full of hater towards other and authorises Muslims to do every immortal things with mom Muslims, Hindus and Jews in particular. It justifies child sex, it justifies, it justifies slavery, it justifies women auction as sex slave and so many other things etc. This is uncivilized. Those who believe in such book , prophet and god can never be good human being.

 

[Saif]

Your entire nation is a gift from us.

No. Our independence was not a gift from you. We struggled for 24 years(1947-1971) to get our independence from Pakistan. We had to take up arms against the Pakistanis to free ourselves and in the process we lost 3 million people. It was your independence which was a gift from your British Masters.

We decide what to keep of it, should we wish to.

As far as Bangladesh is concerned you decide nothing. You are just an ill mannered Bhikari neighbor of Bangladesh.

Not when you have a victorious army camped on your soil, saving your lungis (remember the photos?), and then letting you have a nation on top of it, after saving you from genocide and mass rape.

You didn't save us from a genocide. Our liberation war had started on 25th March of 1971. Your army entered the erstwhile East Pakistan on 3rd December of 1971. By that time the genocide had already taken place.

Don't act bigger than your boots Saif.

Funny. This is coming from a person who belongs to a bhikari nation.

There is a saying in hindi/punjabi about tatte and their aukat.

It is funny that the aukat thing is coming from a gigolo of Mughals/Britishers/Arab Sheikhs.

No matter how big they get, they always remain below the flag mast.

This applies to India not Bangladesh.

 

[Krishna with Flute]

India responsible for tensed relations between India-Bangladesh: Nur

Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nurul Haque Nur on Friday said that India is responsible for the tensed relation between India-Bangladesh as India cannot use this interim government like Awami League. “India is continuing its aggression and dominance over Bangladesh to destabilize the countr

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

India responsible for tensed relations between India-Bangladesh: Nur
BSS
Published :
Dec 13, 2024 21:24
Updated :
Dec 13, 2024 21:24

View attachment 11645

Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nurul Haque Nur on Friday said that India is responsible for the tensed relation between India-Bangladesh as India cannot use this interim government like Awami League.

“India is continuing its aggression and dominance over Bangladesh to destabilize the country’s Interim Government. India is responsible for the tensed relations between India-Bangladesh as India cannot use the incumbent Interim Government like Awami League,” he said a national youth rally in front of the Jatiya Press Club (JPC) in Dhaka on Friday.

Bangladesh Jubo Odhikar Parishad organized the rally protesting Indian aggression and domination. After holding rally, a procession was started in front of Jatiya Press Club and ended at Bijoynagar.

About India’s conspiracies to destabilize Bangladesh, Nurul Haque Nur said the Indian media and political society are trying to prove that communal riots are going on in Bangladesh in a planned manner.

He urged the international media including Indian media to come to Bangladesh and investigate all the allegations regarding communal riot and then present the actual facts.

“No communal attack is taking place in Bangladesh,” he said, adding that some isolated incidents happened due to political reasons.

Talking about India’s domination, he said: “If India shows reluctance to share waters of 54 common rivers between the two countries and does not give a fair share of water of the Teesta River, then Bangladesh should deal agreement with China to ensure its legitimate share.”

Nur said all agreements between Bangladesh-India should be made public.

Criticizing the killing of the Border Security Force (BSF), he said the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) should give befitting reply to BSF’s encounter on the border.

With Bangladesh Jubo Odhikar Parishad president Manjur Morshed Mamun in the chair the rally was addressed among others by Gono Odhikar Parishad General Secretary Rashed Khan, vice president Rahul Islam and senior leaders Abu Hanif and Advocate Sarkar Nur Ershad Siddiqui.​

BD has a great advantage. They can oppress religious minorities, they can burn temples, they can rape women and blame India for spoiling relations.

 

[Saif]

BD has a great advantage. They can oppress religious minorities, they can burn temples, they can rape women and blame India for spoiling relations.

There were no rapes took place. It's Indian propaganda. By the by, whatever happened with the Hindus is none of India's concern. Because they are our citizens not yours.

 

[Krishna with Flute]

There were no rapes took place. It's Indian propaganda. By the by, whatever happened with the Hindus is none of India's concern. Because they are our citizens not yours.

They were either citizens of undivided India or their descendants. We have every right to be concern.
All Muslim and Islamic nations have right to have concerns for Muslims anywhere in world but India doesn't have the right to concern to BD Hindus.

 

[Saif]

They were either citizens of undivided India or their descendants. We have every right to be concern.
All Muslim and Islamic nations have right to have concerns for Muslims anywhere in world but India doesn't have the right to concern to BD Hindus.

Which Muslim country formally expressed concern for the plight of Muslims in India?

 

[Krishna with Flute]

Which Muslim country formally expressed concern for the plight of Muslims in India?

Union of all Islamic countries. OIC, Iran, Pakistan.

 

[Saif]

Union of all Islamic countries. OIC, Iran, Pakistan.

Can you give me the link, please?

 

[Krishna with Flute]

Can you give me the link, please?

Iran's Supreme leader lists India with other places where Muslims ‘suffer’, says cannot be oblivious

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has added India to a list of places where Muslims are suffering. India has strongly disagreed with his statement, calling it misinformed and unacceptable. The Ministry of External Affairs urged countries to review their own minority rights records...

m.economictimes.com

https://www.oic-oci.org/topic/?t_id=40069&t_ref=26810&lan=en

 

[Saif]

Want relations with India based on mutual interests, respect: Adviser Touhid

Touhid Hossain said the interim government's objective is ultimately to transfer power through a fair and credible election

www.thedailystar.net

Want relations with India based on mutual interests, respect: Adviser Touhid

Md Touhid Hossain

Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain has said Bangladesh wants cordial relations with India based on mutual interests and respect, as it does with all other nations.

"The interim government is working towards that goal."

He made the remarks during a meeting with government officials, freedom fighters, public representatives, politicians, journalists, and civil society representatives in Belabo upazila of Narsingdi today.

Touhid Hossain said the interim government's objective is ultimately to transfer power through a fair and credible election.

"There is no room for doubt about it. Our first task is to restore stability in the country. We will organise the elections by paving the way for fundamental reforms so that no government can deviate from that path.

"Those who toppled the oppressive regime have certain demands. They seek reforms, and we have been tasked with implementing them."

Touhid said these reforms will require time and urged all to have patience.

He also urged political parties to work towards a future where students are no longer compelled to protest on the streets.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Abdul Karim chaired the event, while former secretary of bridges division Zahid Hossain, MRDI Adviser Shahid Hossain, Bangladesh Energy and Power Research Council Chairman Wahid Hossain, former air commodore of Bangladesh Air Force Khalid Hossain, Assistant Superintendent of Police (Raipura Circle) Afsan Al Alam, and Assistant Commissioner (Land) Mohammad Nazmul Hossain, among others, were present there.​

 

[Saif]

Bangladesh-India relations must be based on justice and equal dignity

Exploring the complexities of Bangladesh-India relations, cooperation, and challenges.

www.thedailystar.net

Bangladesh-India relations must be based on justice and equal dignity

VISUAL: SALMAN SAKIB SHAHRYAR

The relationship between Bangladesh and India is a matter of profound significance and multifaceted complexity, deeply rooted in the historical, geographical, and cultural connections. Historically, this relationship has traversed numerous ups and downs. While there are many instances of friendship, cooperation and mutual support, incidents of suspicion and distrust have disrupted this bond. Recent political changes in Bangladesh due to a student-led mass uprising and the regional and international reactions associated with them have escalated these feelings of doubt and mistrust. Differing messages and perspectives within the realms of politics, diplomacy and the media are affecting the balance of relations between the two countries. As a result, establishing a sustainable, trust-based relationship based on justice and equality has become a significant challenge.

Addressing these challenges requires careful and proactive engagement from both countries. Resolving issues through cooperation, a visionary policy, sincere efforts, and a balanced perspective are essential.

Bangladesh-India relation is not confined to the political realm; it holds immense significance in economic, social, cultural, and geographical aspects as well. In this context, it is crucial for both the Indian government and its major political parties to assess Bangladesh's current political changes with an impartial and pragmatic perspective, and accept the realities associated with the 2024 July uprising. And their priority should be to cultivate a multidimensional, deep and inclusive relationship with the people of Bangladesh.

Regrettably, recent instances of anti-Bangladesh propaganda in certain Indian media outlets, open support for the ousted government, and dissemination of exaggerated news and misleading information have created barriers to impartial and objective analysis. As a result, the relationship between the two countries has become increasingly strained. The recent attack on the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Tripura has further exacerbated this situation. It is a condemnable incident that has damaged the diplomatic ties between the two countries. The Indian government must take swift and effective measures to prevent such occurrences in the future.

On the other hand, Bangladesh should focus on establishing a relationship with India based on justice and mutual respect. In this regard, it is essential to jointly explore solutions to long-standing unresolved issues, such as equitable sharing of river waters, stopping border killings, facilitating mutual trade and investment, and improving cross-border communication.

It is also vital for the Bangladesh government and political parties to avoid creating a space for anti-India rhetoric in discussions or protests. Adopting a responsible and mature approach in dealings with India is essential for safeguarding Bangladesh's long-term interests. Cheap anti-India sentiment may serve the immediate interests of certain political groups, but it is never conducive to the well-being of the Bangladeshi people.

Concerns about the rights of religious minorities in Bangladesh and India are a tangible and deeply rooted issue, embedded within the social and political structures of both countries. In both nations, minority communities have, at various times, faced discrimination, persecution, and the shrinking of their rights. Addressing such discrimination through state action and well-planned policy formulation is crucial. However, this issue often becomes the focal point of political debates, complicating the path to a genuine solution and preventing the core of the problem from being addressed.

The primary demand of minority communities in both countries is equal rights, security, and a life of dignity. They do not wish to be used as tools for any political group's interests. Keeping this reality in mind, especially in the context of Bangladesh's recent political changes, ensuring the security of minorities should be a key focus of the interim government.

In this regard, it is essential to remain vigilant both within Bangladesh and beyond, against any group whose activities may disturb communal harmony. Such groups not only jeopardise internal stability but also have a negative impact on international relations. For example, an increase in communal tensions within Bangladesh could have repercussions in India, and similarly, the internal dynamics of India can affect the situation in Bangladesh.

It is a reality that narrow-minded, communal groups in both countries provoke intolerance and division. They not only create problems within their own nations but also influence each other. In this context, both governments have a responsibility to strictly control the activities of these groups and take effective steps to counter their influence.

Maintaining communal harmony is not solely the government's responsibility. Civil society, the media and religious leaders also play a crucial role in this process. It is necessary to create a humane, tolerant, and dignified environment where everyone can live safely in their own identity. Such a tolerant and inclusive environment is not only vital for minorities but also for the overall social stability and development of both countries. Bangladesh and India have a historic opportunity to set an example through cooperation, contributing to a future built on religious tolerance and respect for human rights.

Building a multidimensional and balanced relationship between Bangladesh and India based on justice and equal dignity is an imperative of our time. In the context of the deep interconnections of geography, history, culture and economics, making this relationship more sustainable and dynamic will ensure the socioeconomic welfare of the people of both countries. This is not only necessary but also essential for the overall development of both nations and regional stability.

In recent times, especially following the July uprising in Bangladesh, this has posed a significant challenge for the political parties, civil society and media in both countries. It has highlighted the need to reassess outdated strategies, narrow perspectives and one-sided decision-making processes. At the same time, it has created an opportunity to open the door to a new and positive bilateral relationship. Now is the time to seize this opportunity and take effective action. In bilateral discussions, both parties should jointly seek solutions to unresolved issues based on justice and mutual respect. If this opportunity is not seized in time, narrow-minded communal groups will try to exploit this gap and further complicate the situation.

Therefore, Bangladesh and India should take a collective initiative to begin a new chapter in the bilateral relationship. It is not only the responsibility of political leadership but also of civil society, academics and the media to create a positive environment. This will not only help build trust between the two countries but also set an example of peaceful and cooperative relations for the larger South Asian region. This way, current challenges will be addressed and the way for a brighter future for the people of both countries will also be paved.

Dr Selim Raihan is professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Dhaka and executive director of South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM).​

 

[Saif]

India stands to lose if it carries on in this manner

The manner in which India is withdrawing facilities to Bangladesh, it is India that stands to lose. If Bangladesh can take advantage, it will gain self-reliance

en.prothomalo.com

India stands to lose if it carries on in this manner
Subail Bin Alam
Published: 14 Dec 2024, 13: 50

After Sheikh Hasina fled, the propaganda being spewed out by various Indian IT channels and the resultant reaction of the Hindutva adherents, is leading to a steady deterioration of India's bilateral relations with Bangladesh.

Given that India is much bigger than Bangladesh from a geopolitical angle, generally speaking it would be Bangladesh that would face the more damage. However, the manner in which India is withdrawing facilities to Bangladesh, it is India that stands to lose. And if Bangladesh can take advantage of this situation, the country will advance ahead in self-reliance.

First of all there is the matter of trade. There is a USD 7,160.81 million trade deficit with India. According to a report appearing in Banik Barta on 21 October 2024, exports from Bangladesh have dropped by another 6 per cent. Now if they shut down the ports, our traders can snap up this opportunity. Previously the prices of inions, potatoes and rice would shoot up. Now the country imports quite an adequate supply of onions. And our choices have expanded now, with vessels arriving directly from Pakistan. As we didn't have this alternative choice before, we had to remain at India's mercy. If we can arrange another alternative of Myanmar alongside Pakistan, we can avail food imports at even cheaper rates.

Bangladesh ranks fourth among countries from which India receives remittances. While there are no accurate figures of how many foreign nationals work in Bangladesh, Deutsche Welle reports that around 500,000 India are likely to be working here. And most of them are here on tourist visas. If steps could be taken to prevent those coming here on tourist visas to take up jobs, then the large number of unemployed persons in our country could be given jobs.

Our problem has been our subservient foreign policy that gave all to India. They cannot accept that now we want to remain on equal footing. This is a chance for us to become self-reliant. Can our businesspersons or the government avail this opportunity?
India has constructed dams on 53 out of the 54 common rivers. According to river researchers, in the sixties there had been over 750 rivers in Bangladesh. This has now dropped to only 230 in total. On average, every year droughts cause losses of Tk 27.34 billion (Tk 2,734 crore) and floods Tk 300 billion (Tk 30,000 crore). The government has not yet signed the UN International Watercourses Convention of 1997. This incident will put further pressure on them to ensure that we get our fair share.

Every year 2.47 million medical tourists travel to India from Bangladesh for treatment. A total of Tk 500 billion (Tk 50 thousand crore) is going abroad in this manner from medical treatment. This money could bring about radical changes in our health sector. It is only natural for people to choose different countries to go for better treatment. Already people have started looking into other countries for this purpose.

According to Odhikar, in the span of time between 2000 and 2020, a total of 1,236 were killed at the hands of India's border force BSF. Another 1,145 were injured. Ain O Salish Kendra's records state that between 2021 and 2023 a total 70 had died. Even on 6 December this year, they killed one person in Panchagargh. According to Article 7 of the International Criminal Court (ICC)'s Rome Statute; Principle 9 of UN Fundamental Principles, 1990; and Article 3 of the Geneva Convention 4, these are violations of international law. We need to seek justice at the ICC in this regard.

The majority of tourists visiting India are from Bangladesh, constituting 21.55 per cent of the total. India's revenue from this sector is around Tk 17 billion. Just imagine what a contribution we are making to their economy?

Marquis Street in Kolkata, the capital of India's West Bengal state, is known as mini Bangladesh. The streets and alleyways of that area teem with Bangladeshi tourists, shoppers and traders. These roads and lanes are now empty. In Kolkata, the traders of New Market thrive on shoppers from Bangladesh. Now there are no shoppers from Bangladesh and there is no business.

The hoteliers, hawkers, food shops, cabs are all in the red. India had stopped issuing visas to Bangladeshis, to the cost of the Indian nationals. All this is being reported in the Indian media. They say that with the lack of customers from Bangladesh, the traders and other businesspersons "will soon have to starve".

Now let's look at the unjust deals signed with this country. Till date, three line of credit or LoC agreements have been signed between Bangladesh and India. According to agreement, India is supposed to provide Bangladesh with USD 7.36 billion (USD 736 crore). But so far only USD 1.84 billion (USD 184 crore) has been released. And the work has to be carried out by India companies. And with the projects that they are funding, will facilitate transit and power to India's seven states over Bangladesh's territory. They were the beneficiaries. India is availing transit at a perfunctory cost, by road, river or using the Chittagong and Mongla ports. These deals that go against the interests of our country must be revoked.

It is now time to take into cognizance the deals signed with Adani, the Rampal deal and so on. There is no exit clause on the deal signed between Adani and the fallen Awami League government. There are other deals which haven't been revealed, it is believed, and there is public pressure to bring these out in the open. The past prime minister had said, "India will never be able to forget what we have given it." The people who went against the country's interests to sign these contracts must also be made to face the law. Government bureaucrats are also as liable for this as the politicians.

SAARC must be revived if we are to be saved from India. We must make all-out efforts to join ASEAN. Despite the Rohingya issue with Myanmar, we need to start trade with them. India has created such problems no with Bangladesh alone. There have been 'India Out' campaigns in Bhutan, Nepal, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and even in Qatar. All ASEAN countries too, at one point of time or the other, have had heated relations with India. And everyone had managed to retrieve their dues.

Our problem has been our subservient foreign policy that gave all to India. They cannot accept that now we want to remain on equal footing. This is a chance for us to become self-reliant. Can our businesspersons or the government avail this opportunity?

* Subail Bin Alam is a columnist on sustainable development.​

 

[Saif]

ভারত বাংলাদেশিদের ভিসা না দেয়ায় কার ক্ষতি হচ্ছে?

 

[Guru Dutt]

India stands to lose if it carries on in this manner

The manner in which India is withdrawing facilities to Bangladesh, it is India that stands to lose. If Bangladesh can take advantage, it will gain self-reliance

en.prothomalo.com

India stands to lose if it carries on in this manner
Subail Bin Alam
Published: 14 Dec 2024, 13: 50

View attachment 11693

After Sheikh Hasina fled, the propaganda being spewed out by various Indian IT channels and the resultant reaction of the Hindutva adherents, is leading to a steady deterioration of India's bilateral relations with Bangladesh.

Given that India is much bigger than Bangladesh from a geopolitical angle, generally speaking it would be Bangladesh that would face the more damage. However, the manner in which India is withdrawing facilities to Bangladesh, it is India that stands to lose. And if Bangladesh can take advantage of this situation, the country will advance ahead in self-reliance.

First of all there is the matter of trade. There is a USD 7,160.81 million trade deficit with India. According to a report appearing in Banik Barta on 21 October 2024, exports from Bangladesh have dropped by another 6 per cent. Now if they shut down the ports, our traders can snap up this opportunity. Previously the prices of inions, potatoes and rice would shoot up. Now the country imports quite an adequate supply of onions. And our choices have expanded now, with vessels arriving directly from Pakistan. As we didn't have this alternative choice before, we had to remain at India's mercy. If we can arrange another alternative of Myanmar alongside Pakistan, we can avail food imports at even cheaper rates.

Bangladesh ranks fourth among countries from which India receives remittances. While there are no accurate figures of how many foreign nationals work in Bangladesh, Deutsche Welle reports that around 500,000 India are likely to be working here. And most of them are here on tourist visas. If steps could be taken to prevent those coming here on tourist visas to take up jobs, then the large number of unemployed persons in our country could be given jobs.

Our problem has been our subservient foreign policy that gave all to India. They cannot accept that now we want to remain on equal footing. This is a chance for us to become self-reliant. Can our businesspersons or the government avail this opportunity?
India has constructed dams on 53 out of the 54 common rivers. According to river researchers, in the sixties there had been over 750 rivers in Bangladesh. This has now dropped to only 230 in total. On average, every year droughts cause losses of Tk 27.34 billion (Tk 2,734 crore) and floods Tk 300 billion (Tk 30,000 crore). The government has not yet signed the UN International Watercourses Convention of 1997. This incident will put further pressure on them to ensure that we get our fair share.

Every year 2.47 million medical tourists travel to India from Bangladesh for treatment. A total of Tk 500 billion (Tk 50 thousand crore) is going abroad in this manner from medical treatment. This money could bring about radical changes in our health sector. It is only natural for people to choose different countries to go for better treatment. Already people have started looking into other countries for this purpose.

According to Odhikar, in the span of time between 2000 and 2020, a total of 1,236 were killed at the hands of India's border force BSF. Another 1,145 were injured. Ain O Salish Kendra's records state that between 2021 and 2023 a total 70 had died. Even on 6 December this year, they killed one person in Panchagargh. According to Article 7 of the International Criminal Court (ICC)'s Rome Statute; Principle 9 of UN Fundamental Principles, 1990; and Article 3 of the Geneva Convention 4, these are violations of international law. We need to seek justice at the ICC in this regard.

The majority of tourists visiting India are from Bangladesh, constituting 21.55 per cent of the total. India's revenue from this sector is around Tk 17 billion. Just imagine what a contribution we are making to their economy?

Marquis Street in Kolkata, the capital of India's West Bengal state, is known as mini Bangladesh. The streets and alleyways of that area teem with Bangladeshi tourists, shoppers and traders. These roads and lanes are now empty. In Kolkata, the traders of New Market thrive on shoppers from Bangladesh. Now there are no shoppers from Bangladesh and there is no business.

The hoteliers, hawkers, food shops, cabs are all in the red. India had stopped issuing visas to Bangladeshis, to the cost of the Indian nationals. All this is being reported in the Indian media. They say that with the lack of customers from Bangladesh, the traders and other businesspersons "will soon have to starve".

Now let's look at the unjust deals signed with this country. Till date, three line of credit or LoC agreements have been signed between Bangladesh and India. According to agreement, India is supposed to provide Bangladesh with USD 7.36 billion (USD 736 crore). But so far only USD 1.84 billion (USD 184 crore) has been released. And the work has to be carried out by India companies. And with the projects that they are funding, will facilitate transit and power to India's seven states over Bangladesh's territory. They were the beneficiaries. India is availing transit at a perfunctory cost, by road, river or using the Chittagong and Mongla ports. These deals that go against the interests of our country must be revoked.

It is now time to take into cognizance the deals signed with Adani, the Rampal deal and so on. There is no exit clause on the deal signed between Adani and the fallen Awami League government. There are other deals which haven't been revealed, it is believed, and there is public pressure to bring these out in the open. The past prime minister had said, "India will never be able to forget what we have given it." The people who went against the country's interests to sign these contracts must also be made to face the law. Government bureaucrats are also as liable for this as the politicians.

SAARC must be revived if we are to be saved from India. We must make all-out efforts to join ASEAN. Despite the Rohingya issue with Myanmar, we need to start trade with them. India has created such problems no with Bangladesh alone. There have been 'India Out' campaigns in Bhutan, Nepal, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and even in Qatar. All ASEAN countries too, at one point of time or the other, have had heated relations with India. And everyone had managed to retrieve their dues.

Our problem has been our subservient foreign policy that gave all to India. They cannot accept that now we want to remain on equal footing. This is a chance for us to become self-reliant. Can our businesspersons or the government avail this opportunity?

* Subail Bin Alam is a columnist on sustainable development.​

this is really funny .....

thanks but no thanks please dont sent your medical tourists or regular tourists to india or do trade with india or sent any remmitences to India or for that matter so called fish and sea food or other agro products just do what Pakistan is doing 100% boycott of all indian goods and trade .... lets do it for once

cause why drag a relationship if you dont trust india ... thanks but no thanks we dont want any bangladeshi money and please take back all your labourers aswell living illeagaly in india

 

[Saif]

this is really funny .....
cause why drag a relationship if you dont trust india ... thanks but no thanks we dont want any bangladeshi money and please take back all your labourers aswell living illeagaly in india

I wish your farmers and business people could say the same.

 

[Guru Dutt]

I hope your farmers and business people could say the same.

well i am talking you about the meeting's i attended of DSTA (Delhi Scooter Traders assciation) basically a formal association of Karol Bagh Naiwala based spare parts dealers which are the laregst asian spare parts market for two and three wheeler spares and allied assceories and all kinds of tyres or leubricants & greases and other pigments and polishes for engines and NDTA = New delhi Traders association after there meeting with DELHI VYAAPAR SANGH that we are going to stop all kinds of trade and commerrce with Bangladesh and same requests are also bieng recived from Vyaapar Sanghs of Mumbai , Chennai , Banglore, Ahemdabad, Kanpur, Bhopal & Surat to name a few

as for farmers well you have no idea about the markets of India we have almost billion Indians to feed we can feed them by diverting same agro products inside india than exporting same to likes of Bangladesh

 

[Saif]

well i am talking you about the meeting's i attended of DSTA (Delhi Scooter Traders assciation) basically a formal association of Karol Bagh Naiwala based spare parts dealers which are the laregst asian spare parts market for two and three wheeler spares and allied assceories and all kinds of tyres or leubricants & greases and other pigments and polishes for engines and NDTA = New delhi Traders association after there meeting with DELHI VYAAPAR SANGH that we are going to stop all kinds of trade and commerrce with Bangladesh and same requests are also bieng recived from Vyaapar Sanghs of Mumbai , Chennai , Banglore, Ahemdabad, Kanpur, Bhopal & Surat to name a few

as for farmers well you have no idea about the markets of India we have almost billion Indians to feed we can feed them by diverting same agro products inside india than exporting same to likes of Bangladesh

In that case, the GoI should impose a trade embargo on Bangladesh. Why isn't the GoI doing it?

 

[Guru Dutt]

In that case, the GoI should impose a trade embargo on Bangladesh. Why isn't the GoI doing it?

hold on tiger

it was started by hyper agressive and egoistic bangladeshies not India

the agitation was against reservation for MUKTI JHODDHA and there children which Jaamaaties were trying and convinced the young bangladeshies taking away all there jobs

but but but this they started peddling as if Indians are minting huge money by taking technical jobs inside garments and other high tech industries (if any) in bangladesh .. for which bangladeshies started agitation which ended in loot , plunder and plllage of bangladeshi hindu porperties and mass rape and murder of bangladeshi hindus

and when the Shiekh hasina govt tried to control it she was forced out of govt with help of Bangladeshi armed forces and other pressure groups inside bangladesh all of which where working on behst of INTERNATIONAL DEEP STATE which all abondenned there puppet Mohd Yunus after Trump became new president elect in USA despite all there calculations

and now same Bangladeshies want India to forget all there crimes that they committed ahainst Hindu Bangladeshies and disrespecting Indian democracy and Flag and Indian state and PM......... sorry we dont forget and forgive this easy ,,, its not congress at centre

sure we wil do what we have to do but at the time of owr choosing and this is not the right tme and there is still time

 

[Saif]

hold on tiger

it was started by hyper agressive and egoistic bangladeshies not India

the agitation was against reservation for MUKTI JHODDHA and there children which Jaamaaties were trying and convinced the young bangladeshies taking away all there jobs

but but but this they started peddling as if Indians are minting huge money by taking technical jobs inside garments and other high tech industries (if any) in bangladesh .. for which bangladeshies started agitation which ended in loot , plunder and plllage of bangladeshi hindu porperties and mass rape and murder of bangladeshi hindus

and when the Shiekh hasina govt tried to control it she was forced out of govt with help of Bangladeshi armed forces and other pressure groups inside bangladesh all of which where working on behst of INTERNATIONAL DEEP STATE which all abondenned there puppet Mohd Yunus after Trump became new president elect in USA despite all there calculations

and now same Bangladeshies want India to forget all there crimes that they committed ahainst Hindu Bangladeshies and disrespecting Indian democracy and Flag and Indian state and PM......... sorry we dont forget and forgive this easy ,,, its not congress at centre

sure we wil do what we have to do but at the time of owr choosing and this is not the right tme and there is still time

I clearly see that how the RAW controlled Indian media has brainwashed you and other Indians. Anti quota movement has nothing to do with Jaamat. Sheikh Hasina wanted to bring back the very same quota system which she had revoked a few years ago. But the students were protesting her decision to reintroduce the discriminatory quota system. To quell the students' protest she murdered more than 2000 students to cling on to the power. She used the judiciary, police, BGB and even the army to stop the students who wanted her resignation. Sheikh Hasina is a puppet of India and should not be returned to Bangladesh politics ever. Period.

 

[Guru Dutt]

I clearly see that how the RAW controlled Indian media has brainwashed you and other Indians. Anti quota movement has nothing to do with Jaamat. Sheikh Hasina wanted to bring back the very same quota system which she had revoked a few years ago. But the students were protesting her decision to reintroduce the discriminatory quota system. To quell the students' protest she murdered more than 2000 students to cling on to the power. She used the judiciary, police, BGB and even the army to stop the students who wanted her resignation. Sheikh Hasina is a puppet of India and should not be returned to Bangladesh politics ever. Period.

well agreed whatever you said about shiekh hasina

but why were Hindu Bangladeshies were looted and raped and murderred

why were indian buissnnesses targetted , why indian lag and indian democracy mocked and degraded ?

it dose not works that way that you take buissnes from us too and abuse us too

 

[Saif]

well agreed whatever you said about shiekh hasina

but why were Hindu Bangladeshies were looted and raped and murderred

why were indian buissnnesses targetted , why indian lag and indian democracy mocked and degraded ?

it dose not works that way that you take buissnes from us too and abuse us too

Hindus were not targeted because they were Hindus. Only the leaders and activists of Awami League were targeted regardless of their religious background. Let me give you one example. Do you know Mashrafee, the former cricket captain of Bangladesh? The protesting students burned down Mashrafee's multi million dollar house just because he was an MP of Awami League.

 

[Bilal9]

hold on tiger

it was started by hyper agressive and egoistic bangladeshies not India

the agitation was against reservation for MUKTI JHODDHA and there children which Jaamaaties were trying and convinced the young bangladeshies taking away all there jobs

but but but this they started peddling as if Indians are minting huge money by taking technical jobs inside garments and other high tech industries (if any) in bangladesh .. for which bangladeshies started agitation which ended in loot , plunder and plllage of bangladeshi hindu porperties and mass rape and murder of bangladeshi hindus

and when the Shiekh hasina govt tried to control it she was forced out of govt with help of Bangladeshi armed forces and other pressure groups inside bangladesh all of which where working on behst of INTERNATIONAL DEEP STATE which all abondenned there puppet Mohd Yunus after Trump became new president elect in USA despite all there calculations

and now same Bangladeshies want India to forget all there crimes that they committed ahainst Hindu Bangladeshies and disrespecting Indian democracy and Flag and Indian state and PM......... sorry we dont forget and forgive this easy ,,, its not congress at centre

sure we wil do what we have to do but at the time of owr choosing and this is not the right tme and there is still time

I think the govt. of India should come out and declare complete trade boycott of Bangladesh. Like immediately.

I'd like to see that rightaway - and probably crores of people in Bangladesh are expecting that too.

Please don't keep Bangladeshis in suspense!

Let's see how the Sarojini Hawker market association and Delhi Vyapaar Sangh can decide the fate of Indian trade with Bangladesh.

 

[Saif]

Could the Indian foreign secretary’s visit create positive optics?

Vikram Misri's visit to Dhaka signals efforts to stabilise Bangladesh-India ties.

www.thedailystar.net

Could the Indian foreign secretary’s visit create positive optics?

PHOTO: FOREIGN MINISTRY

Given the steady decline in Bangladesh-India relations since August, it is tempting to view Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri's December 9 visit to Dhaka and his talks with top leaders, including the interim government's Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, either negatively or positively. It all depends on one's own perception.

However, Misri's visit, the first by a top Indian diplomat since Hasina's escape to India, appears to have provided a much-needed welcome break from the rising cacophony of megaphone diplomacy and the shriller voices emanating from a section of the media which made the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India frosty, if not downright hostile.

It may be argued that Misri's interaction with Yunus, Bangladesh Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain and Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin did not yield new meeting ground, nor were they expected to during this initial round of talks. What it did at best was for the two sides to bring to the table their respective concerns and expectations of each other. Yunus flagged the issue of Hasina's continued stay in India and her statements from there which he says added to the strained ties. Jashim Uddin conveyed Dhaka's concern over border killings and described India's comments on the plight of minorities in Bangladesh as "interference" in his country's internal affairs.

Bangladesh has resented a security breach at Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala during a large protest there against alleged attacks on Hindus. In Dhaka, Misri articulated the attacks on "religious, diplomatic and cultural properties" which fuelled resentment in India.

But it would be grossly unfair to just look at areas of concern. More than anything else, the Indian foreign secretary's visit underlines that the two countries are willing to not allow the incidents since August to prevent the efforts for charting a new journey. According to media reports, Yunus, during his meeting with Misri, said that the relations between Bangladesh and India were "very solid" and "close" and asked India to help "clear the clouds."

For his part, Misri stressed India's "desire to work closely with the Interim Government of Bangladesh." The Indian foreign secretary made it a point to recall that since the political changes in Bangladesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first world leader to greet Chief Adviser Yunus on his assumption of office, the two leaders had a "very cordial" telephone conversation thereafter, and Yunus accepted Modi's invitation to speak at the online event 3rd Voice of Global South Summit in August. Plus, there was the meeting between Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Bangladesh Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain in New York in September this year. Misri emphasised, "India desires a positive, constructive, and mutually beneficial relationship with Bangladesh."

Misri also made two important points. First, he conveyed that India has always seen in the past and will continue to see in the future the relationship with Bangladesh "as a people-centric and people-oriented relationship, one that has the benefit of all the people as its central motivational force." Secondly, he made it clear the development projects executed by India in Bangladesh reflected mutually beneficial engagement on issues ranging from trade, commerce, connectivity, power, water and energy, consular cooperation and cultural cooperation. He said there is no reason why this cooperation should not continue to deliver in the interest of both Bangladeshis and Indians. This should be seen as a counter to criticism often aired in Bangladesh that India has invested in the Awami League rather than the people of that country.

After the Indian foreign secretary's visit, the two sides indicated their readiness to resume the unfinished challenges in bilateral ties—border management, trade and connectivity, water, energy sectors, development cooperation, consular, cultural and people-to-people ties. The jury is still out if the visit helped create largely positive optics. For that to happen, India and Bangladesh must be mindful of each other's areas of concerns and priorities and not brush them aside. It is to be noted that a day after Misri's visit, Yunus' press secretary Shafiqul Alam told the media that there have been 88 incidents of communal violence against the minorities between August 5 and October 22 (with him also saying that many of them were connected to the previous ruling party) and 70 people have been arrested in connection with those incidents.

Pallab Bhattacharya is a special correspondent for The Daily Star. He writes from New Delhi, India.​