Deb Mukharji is former Indian ambassador to Nepal
Delhi needs to do more to protect and deepen ties with Dhaka
Looking at the balance sheet of Indo-Bangladesh relations, it would have to be acknowledged that the ledger tilts, perhaps heavily, in favour of Bangladesh.
Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, made a four-day official visit to India from October 3 to 6. Besides discussions with her Indian counterpart, she also addressed the India Economic Summit of the World Economic Forum. The joint statement issued after the visit contained mutual appreciation for steps taken in various fields and outlines of what is intended in the use of ports and connectivity, water sharing, power, gas, education, culture, defence. For Bangladesh, the reference to the plight of the “forcibly displaced” persons of Rakhine in Myanmar is a positive development, hopefully undoing the damage done earlier by India’s hasty acceptance of Myanmar’s version of the developments. If the joint statement lacked the vision of the one issued after Hasina’s visit in 2010, it must be recalled that the effort then was to raise the relationship by the bootstraps after a dark period of suspicion and hostility. Today, it has matured greatly and it is possible to undertake projects that underline continuity and interdependence. Hasina has looked forward to a golden period of India-Bangladesh relations.
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