| Published on 30-04-2007 In World |
| Viewed 1000 times |
| Glimmer of hope on Indo-Bangla ties |
|
|
Written by
Kamlendra Kanwar |
The army-backed government in Bangladesh deserves a pat on the back for the manner in which it has given early proof of its determination to fight terror by executing six terrorists including two of the most dreaded ones with Afghan and Pakistani connections.
After a long time India can heave a sign of relief that a government in Bangladesh is taking a tough stand on its territory being used as a sanctuary for fugitive terrorists. After all the covert support that terrorists opposed to India had been getting from the erstwhile government of Khaleda Zia, this is truly a refreshing beginning from the new dispensation.
Begum Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party government had come to lean too heavily on the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami whose connections with local and foreign terrorist outfits were widely speculated.
The fact that India was always suspicious of her and had for long had close connections with her arch-foe and former prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed ensured that Khaleda Zia moved farther and farther towards forces inimical to India.
It was indeed a failure of Indian diplomacy that this country was repeatedly found wanting in gaining leverage with the Khaleda Zia government. Now, if it has gained through a crackdown on terrorist outfits it is more because of the new dispensation's enlightened realization that fanning terrorism and fundamentalism could boomerang on it as it had on the Khaleda Zia regime.
It is clearly a challenge for the Manmohan Singh government to see that it manages to build goodwill with the army-backed government while upholding its basic principle that democracy must return to Bangladesh in due course when conditions are more stable.
In all fairness to the new regime it must be acknowledged that Bangladesh had begun to look increasingly ungovernable with the failure of the Khaleda Zia government to rein in lawless elements. Corruption was at its zenith, much of it with official patronage. The Awami League of Sheikh Hasina Wajed, fearing that the then-announced election would be rigged, was encouraging its cadres to take
to the streets in a manner that could only worsen matters.
In such circumstances, there seemed no better course than for the army to step in, atleast briefly.
However, past experience across the world has shown that once the army tastes power, it wants to cling on to it. The dictatorial rule that ensues more often than not negates the gains from the early days of military-supported rule.
As things stand, however, there is merit in India taking strong steps to strengthen relations with the new regime whose chief adviser, Fakhruddin Ahmed, supported a `new beginning' in Indo-Bangla ties at the recent SAARC summit in New Delhi. We have much to gain if the new regime extends its tough stance against terrorism to the fugitives from India belonging to the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation .
Another big gain would be if Bangladesh were to take sincere steps to stop the influx of refugees into India whose entry in huge numbers is a big strain on India's economy and a major threat to internal security.
There is indeed no mistaking the fact that a democratic regime has limitations to acting on these lines while a military-backed regime can do it without any major problem. Closer links need to be forged even in the economic arena.
The recent statement by the Union Minister of State for Commerce, Jairam Ramesh, that there are serious moves afoot to allow Bangladeshi foreign direct investment in India was heartening indeed. This would predictably lead to more Indian investment in Bangladesh and to greater Bangladesh exports to India, to the benefit of specially Bangladesh which has a huge trade deficit with this country.
The Sri Lanka experience inspires hope. Until five years ago, Sri Lanka was on the negative investment-source list of India, along with Pakistan and Bangladesh. But since the ban was lifted, not only has Indian investment flowed into Sri Lanka, exports from that country to India have increased substantially.
While Sheikh Hasina is a long-time friend of India and is presently more popular in her country than her arch-rival Khaleda Zia, India would do well not to enter into any secret deals with her which may lower the trust level of the new dispensation towards India.
Clearly, this is an acid test for Indian diplomacy from which it cannot afford to come out bruised and battered. |
|
|
|
|
| Social Web |  |
| |
|
|
| |
Processing please wait ...
Top Stories
