More of the same from Delhi
June 19, 2014
THE postponement of the June 23-25 home secretary-level meeting between Bangladesh and India, at the request of the latter, is hardly surprising; it is not the first time that India has backed out of a scheduled bilateral meeting at the last moment without giving any plausible reason. Moreover, although the additional home secretary was quoted in New Age on Wednesday as saying that the ‘new date for the bilateral talks will be rescheduled in consultation with our counterpart’, there is hardly any reason to believe the meeting will be held anytime soon. Such a conclusion seems anything but far-fetched given the repeated postponement of the 38th meeting of the Joint Rivers Commission; the talks were originally scheduled for June 16-19, 2013. Similarly, the hope expressed by a senior official that the agenda prepared for the home secretary-level talks could be picked for discussion during the June 25-26 visit of the Indian external affairs minister could prove to be premature and misplaced.
It’s been typical of New Delhi to be unresponsive to Dhaka’s legitimate concerns and genuine grievances that are mostly created and sustained by the former in the first place. On matters related to sharing of Teesta and other trans-boundary rivers, killing of Bangladeshis by the Indian Border Security Force on the border, ratification of land boundary agreement, removal of non-tariff and para-tariff barriers to Bangladeshi products in Indian market, reduction of yawning trade gap, the list could go on and on, the Indian government seems to have been reluctant to even negotiate, let alone effectively resolve, the disputes. All it has done so far is to dish out assurances and reassurances that have more often than not proved to be empty.
Yet, the Awami League-led government has sought to give the impression that a new chapter in bilateral relations has been turned since its assumption of office in January 2009. Suffice to say, the so-called improved relations has essentially meant tangible benefits for India in exchange for essentially empty assurances and reassurances of effective steps to address Bangladesh’s lawful entitlements, legitimate demands and genuine grievances.
With the replacement of the United Progressive Alliance led by the Congress party, which has supported the ruling Awami League through thick and thin, by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance in government, a change in New Delhi’s attitude towards Dhaka is expected. However, such change in attitude to be positive, the AL-led government needs to be assertive in articulation of Bangladesh’s legitimate demands and genuine grievances, not docile as it has largely appeared thus far.
- See more at: More of the same from Delhi
June 19, 2014
THE postponement of the June 23-25 home secretary-level meeting between Bangladesh and India, at the request of the latter, is hardly surprising; it is not the first time that India has backed out of a scheduled bilateral meeting at the last moment without giving any plausible reason. Moreover, although the additional home secretary was quoted in New Age on Wednesday as saying that the ‘new date for the bilateral talks will be rescheduled in consultation with our counterpart’, there is hardly any reason to believe the meeting will be held anytime soon. Such a conclusion seems anything but far-fetched given the repeated postponement of the 38th meeting of the Joint Rivers Commission; the talks were originally scheduled for June 16-19, 2013. Similarly, the hope expressed by a senior official that the agenda prepared for the home secretary-level talks could be picked for discussion during the June 25-26 visit of the Indian external affairs minister could prove to be premature and misplaced.
It’s been typical of New Delhi to be unresponsive to Dhaka’s legitimate concerns and genuine grievances that are mostly created and sustained by the former in the first place. On matters related to sharing of Teesta and other trans-boundary rivers, killing of Bangladeshis by the Indian Border Security Force on the border, ratification of land boundary agreement, removal of non-tariff and para-tariff barriers to Bangladeshi products in Indian market, reduction of yawning trade gap, the list could go on and on, the Indian government seems to have been reluctant to even negotiate, let alone effectively resolve, the disputes. All it has done so far is to dish out assurances and reassurances that have more often than not proved to be empty.
Yet, the Awami League-led government has sought to give the impression that a new chapter in bilateral relations has been turned since its assumption of office in January 2009. Suffice to say, the so-called improved relations has essentially meant tangible benefits for India in exchange for essentially empty assurances and reassurances of effective steps to address Bangladesh’s lawful entitlements, legitimate demands and genuine grievances.
With the replacement of the United Progressive Alliance led by the Congress party, which has supported the ruling Awami League through thick and thin, by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance in government, a change in New Delhi’s attitude towards Dhaka is expected. However, such change in attitude to be positive, the AL-led government needs to be assertive in articulation of Bangladesh’s legitimate demands and genuine grievances, not docile as it has largely appeared thus far.
- See more at: More of the same from Delhi
