Why are we so skeptical about India?

Muhammad Rezaul Haque

It is true that India played a vital role in the liberation war of Bangladesh. Although India
had a different agenda regarding this issue, that’s a different story.

Why then we are so skeptical about the Indian friendship? Is it so that we are ungrateful?
Why majority of Bangladeshis’ have a strong Anti-Indian feeling? These are the
questions which may come up in one’s mind. But, in order to find out the answer to these
questions it is enough for one to explore the actions, and behaviors of Indian Government
with Bangladesh. If you focus to the very actions of India during the immediate post
liberated period of Bangladesh you will get surprised to discover that one nation which
helped us in our liberation war could how behave in a fashion as if we were an occupied
nation?

After the surrender of the Pakistani Army the Indian Force stayed back in Bangladesh
and took away all 90,000 surrendered weapons, ammunitions, artillery pieces, heavy
equipments, engineering recourses and vehicles worth millions of dollars. They removed
machineries from the factories and even removed furniture from the cantonments they
occupied. India forced the then government to keep the border open and the quantum of
smuggling went alarmingly high. Maulana Bhashani claimed that the Indian Army and
the smugglers had taken away goods worth 6000 crore taka from the newly independent
Bangladesh.

India forced the then government to bring down the value of taka at par with the Indian
Rupee. This decision was grievous and the country was flooded with fake notes all
around. It had a tremendous adverse effect on the economy of Bangladesh.

There is none who doesn’t know the jute story. All the restrictions on jute export were
removed and smuggling of jute was eased up by opening the border. Mysteriously many

1
jute godowns were set on fire causing huge loss. BJMC and BJTC had to run on huge
government subsidy because of the loss. Picture in India was otherwise different on the
other hand. Closed jute mills for shortage of jute went into production and India soon
became the exporter of jute. New jute mills were established along India Bangladesh
border in Tripura and West Bengal.

Another sore point was the signing of the Indo-Bangladesh treaty. It was for 25 years and
it was ratified on 19 March 1972 during the visit of Mrs. Indira Gandi. Articles 6,8,9,10
were about foreign relations and defense of both the countries. As regard to the treaty, if
Bangladesh was attacked by any country India would come to safeguard our nation was
particularly amounted to subjugation to India and to recognize her as the dominating
power in the region. When Bangladesh was surrounded by India then who was there to
rescue Bangladesh was however not answered.

The article regarding the economic cooperation soon became the weapon for making
Bangladesh the market of India and India started putting pressure to import Indian goods.
Bangladesh has been at the forefront in the last decade in embracing prescriptions for
trade liberalization. However, Bangladesh's experience after such liberalization has not
been a happy one. It suffers a huge trade imbalance with its biggest neighbor, India. But
the Indian authorities have done little so far to actually reduce duties on Bangladeshi
products. Besides, India also has set up non-tariff barriers against Bangladeshi products.
Even such an extreme step such as the anti-dumping duty was used by the Indian
authorities against Bangladeshi exporters of batteries when that product showed promise
in the Indian market.

In 1974 a border treaty regarding disputed land corridors was signed. According to the
agreement, India took away Berubari and did not handover Tin Bigha Corridor on the
plea that there was a case filed against the government against handing over it to
Bangladesh.

Even after doing so much for India the then government could not move them.

2
Land boundary, littoral boundary, economic zone remains undecided and India is
continuously taking the advantage from it. In the recent past six multinational companies
were employed to explore gas and they had to stop drilling after India protested saying,
such work could not be undertaken as the border demarcation was incomplete. It did not
end there, some unidentified elements carried out sabotage on these sites and few of their
employees were kidnapped by them.

When in 1975 India carried out an aggression on Sikkim and annexed it with her, people
started disbelieving India very deeply. Maulana Bhashani demanded the abrogation of the
treaty and very soon it became a popular demand.

India has illegally occupied an island of Bangladesh. At the estuary of the river
Hariabhanga a huge landmass called Talpatti which is closer to Bangladesh shore; India
had lodged a claim on it. It was then decided that this problem would be resolved
through bilateral talks as par the international laws. But in violation to this inter-
governmental understanding suddenly in one fine morning the Indian troops landed on
Talpatti and hoisted Indian flag unilaterally.

The Rivers like Ganges, Brahmaputra, Meghna, Jamuna, Tista, Gomti, Muhuri, Shurma,
Khowai, Kushiara, etc. all originates in Himalayan range at the north and flows down
over Bangladesh to the Bay of Bengal at the south. These river basins make life of the
people and the natural environments. The Farakka barrage on the Ganges that had been
unilaterally constructed by India has affected about one third landmass and quarter of the
population of Bangladesh. It is one of the most disastrous men made curse that had
affected hundreds of millions of people as well as the natural ecological system.
According to one finding, the water diversion caused these extremely poor country
annual losses of over $4 billion. According to another, in some affected areas of
Bangladesh, villagers had to "dig wells as deep as 200 feet to obtain drinking water."

3
Bangladesh government is unable to face this horrendous challenge because of poor
diplomacy, political divition and subjugated mentality. The problem is multiplying with
every passing day. The Ganges water crisis has enhanced the bitterness between the two
countries. If a just and equitable solution is not found, the relation between the two
countries is bound to further deteriorate. India meanwhile has constructed another barrage
on the river Tista. This action has also been taken unilaterally without any prior
consultation. As a result flow of river Tista has also gone down considerably. This is
affecting four northern districts of Bangladesh. Moreover India is constructing more
barrages on Khowai, Gomti and other rivers at the northern regions without any
consultation violating international laws.

Now India has come up with another project like the previous one and this time it is on
the international river barak at Manipur. The Tipaimuk project threatens similar
consequences as Farakka and Tista, say environmentalists. Objections to the project on
this score have already been voiced in very India in Manipur. The dam is being built
across the Barak River on the border of India's northeastern States of Manipur and
Mizoram, just 100 kilometers away from Bangladesh. The Barak becomes Meghna in
Bangladesh, which the dam will reduce to the status of a lower riparian state.

Are all these the act of a friendly neighbour?

Bangladeshi TV channels are not available to the Indians and India literally blocks
Bangladeshi channels from entering into India. The idea of blocking Bangladeshi
channels come from the Kolkata cable operators themselves. They are told to do this
from their licensors in govt. This is again done in a much planned fashion. This is done
deliberately to keep the Bangladeshi products away from the Indian consumers.
Bangladeshi products in general are of similar cost and also vastly of improved quality
over most Indian products, especially of the Fast moving consumer goods variety such as
bath products, personal care products as well as everyday consumables such as cooking
oil.

4
Killing of innocent Bangladeshis at the bordering areas has crossed all the limits. BSF
now even do not spend a bullet to kill helpless Bangladeshis’, they rather beat them to
death as if they were killing animals. BSF in the borders now have become terrorists. It is
inhumane and barbarous.

India and its agents have caused many problems for the Bangladeshis working in the
Middle East and as a result our expatriates face many problems abroad. These matters
were reported on the newspapers as well.

India shows the audacity to do it repeatedly because of the internal problem we have and
the weakness of our government.

Now with the long history of India’s aforesaid behavior can she be trusted for keeping
any new promise? Are the UN and/or the ICJ (International Court of Justice) only options
Bangladesh has to redress her grievances?"

Equality, Sincerity in cooperation, Spirit of Friendship, Compassion and above all strong
reciprocity are the requirements to evolve a genuine and durable relation. Domination or
impositions on the other hand do not serve any purpose. Rather such deceitful over
bearing attitude only widens the gap.