Pakistan And Bangladesh: A Comaradery For A Common Journey To Peace And Prosperity
The Present concept of a nation state is that of a welfare state; a voluntary relinquishment of certain rights by the people for common well being. This principle makes it imperative for each democratic state to do its utmost for the welfare of its people. Bangladesh and Pakistan are pronouncedly democratic states, their mutually agreed aim is to achieve above-mentioned goal. At the same time, Bangladesh and Pakistan are such sister states whose prospects and problems are not dissimilar, a natural parallel exists between the two. As such, their ills and misfortunes need same kind of antidote.
Some of the problems that haunt the two could be summarized as follows:-
a) Terrorism: This is an old phenomenon endemic to both of them. Only recently the Western world has opened its eyes to this danger after being precariously affected by it, Pakistan and Bangladesh, on the other hand has been pestered by it since their inception. However, since it came into being as an independent entity, India started a full-blooded campaign to strangulate all other newly independent smaller states in the Sub-continent. Just because India inherited well heeled and fully lubricated foreign office machinery from British India, it utilized it to its maximum to vilify the newly independent state. The then Pakistan was denied its legitimate share in civil and military manpower, hardware and cash, just to starve it to death. State sponsored armed bands were unleashed to kill and maul those refugees who were waging their way to Pakistan. This was a state terrorism by any canon and definition. In mid sixties, a mischievous campaign of false and malicious propaganda was launched to create misgivings between the people of two wings of Pakistan ending with the dismemberment of Pakistan. This was a classic portrayal of the naked state terrorism perpetrated by India in the contemporary modern history.
The story does not finish there. Even after that sad episode, Pakistan and Bangladesh have been victims of crude terrorism from this colossus called India. The process still goes on unabated.
b) Water scarcity: This is just another problem besetting the duo. The rivers irrigating Bangladesh and Pakistan unfortunately have their origin in India. This gift of the Almighty God has been misused criminally by it to force the two to fall in line.
c) Economic Problem: Pakistan and Bangladesh posses an economy having striking similarity. Both have mainly agrarian economy with a nascent industry based on agriculture. Their pre-mature industrial growth needs protection; protection from within and outside. From inside, industries need support of subsides and favorable government policies, at the same time, they also need protection from outside competition. Unfortunately, their industries face a common danger in the form of competition from cheap Indian goods. India, taking the cover of SAARC Free Trade Agreement has been pressurizing the two to open their markets for its goods and to provide it the status of MFN (Most Favored Nation), which if done would certainly destroy their own industrial growth.
d) Security: Security is a fundamental need of every living being. Not only humans but lesser creatures also need security for their fuller existence, Human cannot live and thrive happily in its absence. The peoples of Bangladesh and Pakistan have been living their lives under the constant threat from their bigger neighbor. India’s hostile postures have forced the two to seek assistance from power beyond Asia. This again, has drawn some adverse fall outs in the community of Asian nations with very unpleasant consequences.
e) Border Disputes:
Safe and calm borders and frontiers are necessary for security of a nation. Both Bangladesh and Pakistan share large chunks of borders with India. Self appointed regional power intoxicated with the wishful dream of ‘Mother India’ violates the border rights of the two at the time of its choice. No international convention, no moral bounds have ever deterred it form molesting the sanctity of lands so dear to their respective peoples.
f) Smuggling: Smuggling is a bane to the economy, security and culture of a nation. Usually, every nation bans and prohibits production, consumption and sale of certain materials and products within their borders due to diverse reasons. Smuggling makes it easy the availability of those prohibited items. Bangladesh and Pakistan are facing severe problems due to continuous inflow of contraband products and items from India. Due to religio-cultural constrains both of them disapprove the existence of certain items within their society. However, India, their common neighbor has no such religious or moral obligation. Consequently, with the blessing and patronage of the state authorities a stream of such contraband cheap Indian products and items has been continuously smuggled into Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Conclusion:
A bird’s eye view of above issues reveals that all these problems merit similar kinds of treatment. The need of the hours is that the leadership and the people of Bangladesh and Pakistan join hands and hammer out a common strategy to counter these multifaceted ailments.
THE END
Lt. Col. Shariful Haq Bir Uttam
Untold Facts Blog Archive Pakistan And Bangladesh: A Comaradery For A Common Journey To Peace And Prosperity
