20th April 2025, NIICE Commentary 10269
Akanksha Roy
Indo-Bangladesh ties have been based on mutual trust, friendship and cooperation. For instance, the Maitri Rail Express 2 was inaugurated between Kolkata and Khulna (A city in Bangladesh) in April 2017. The International rail connectivity between Agartala-Akhaura and Khulna-Mongla Port rail line opened in November 2023, aimed to boost the bilateral relationship. Although the state of Bangladesh has undergone several political changes since its creation as an independent state in 1971, its recent political destabilisation is alarming for India to amplify its cross-border security, especially in the northeast region.
Implications of the Present Indo-Bangladesh Challenges
The previous rise and fall of the governments led by Bangladesh's two prominent political parties, namely the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (popularly known as the BNP) have always had a direct impact on the Indo-Bangladesh ties since the former is believed to hold a pro-India stand and the latter a pro-Pakistan stand (one of India's conflicting states responsible for cross-border terrorism). Thus, the fall of a stable Awami League-led government and the formation of an interim government is alarming for India. The repercussions of the neighbourhood state crisis have affected the Delhi-Dhaka geopolitics. Although the Mohammad Yunus-led interim government aims to stabilise the national economy, India is wary of its cross-border security at its strategic Chicken-Neck Corridor, which serves as a gateway to its northeastern territories since its present ties with the Bangladeshi interim government may affect its trade ties even with Southeast Asia, because Bangladesh strategically connects it with India through roadways and waterways. Given the present challenges, the Teesta Water Sharing Agreement between the two nations may be of geographical concern to its multilateral projects like the BCIM (Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar) connectivity project, with the involvement of China as one of the parties that may further complicate the bilateral ties. Lastly, security issues like growing Islamist fundamentalism in Bangladesh continue to challenge the internal security of India's northeastern states.
Opportunities
Despite mutual differences, India is significant to Bangladesh as a vital trade partner in terms of cotton, petroleum products, and cereal imports. On the other hand, Bangladesh exports ready-made garments to India, which contributes $391 million to the Bangladeshi economy. India extended 8 billion dollars in credit to Bangladesh for shipping, road, rail and port infrastructure growth in Bangladesh. The strong geopolitical connection between the two countries led to the discussion of commencing a Free Trade Agreement in 2023. This deal could have enhanced Bangladesh and India's exports by 297% and 172%, respectively. Due to the present political instability in Bangladesh, it has come to a halt, which is surely not good. The India and Bangladesh International border is the 5th longest border in the world (4096.7 km). Moreover, there are 54 transboundary rivers shared by India and Bangladesh, which are geostrategically very important for the two nations to foster trust on issues like flood control, water management, etc. To cite an example, the Kushiyara River water agreement between India and Bangladesh was signed in September 2022. The agreement will benefit the southern part of Assam in India and the Sylhet area of Bangladesh. This agreement is the first significant water agreement after the Ganga Water Treaty of 1996. Thus, Bangladesh is a reliable strategic partner for India in terms of geography as well. There are many confidence-building measures taken by both countries to strengthen mutual trust. For instance, India and Bangladesh signed an Extradition treaty in 2013, which means convicted fugitives will be handed over to the respective countries. Bangladesh was the first vaccination spot for India's vaccine (A part of India’s vaccine diplomacy). Furthermore, India delivered 200 tons of medical oxygen to Bangladesh during the time of COVID-19. The two major joint military exercises, Sampriti and Bangosagar, are examples of military collaboration between India and Bangladesh. In the field of human resource development, Bangladeshi Civil Service officials have been trained by India since 2019 at the National Centre for Good Governance, Mussoorie. At the time of the Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh, India came up with “Operation Insaniyat”, which was a relief assistance to Bangladesh, further strengthening the geopolitical ties between the two nations in 2017. Currently, the ongoing Jal Marg Vikas Yojna project (JMVP) under the Act East policy is one of the initiatives to ameliorate regional connectivity between India and Bangladesh, which will eventually contribute to the economy of both nations. In this way, both countries have been very considerate of each other's interests. Thus, the ongoing political instability in Bangladesh can prove to be harmful.
Conclusion
India and Bangladesh are connected not only geographically but also in historical, cultural, civilisation, social and economic terms. Hence, the relationship has witnessed developments in various fields based on shared interests. Both countries have gone through sweet as well as sour diplomatic times, braving all the obstacles and winning all the challenges. The Indo-Bangladesh relationship is the ultimate example of the non-zero-sum game theory, as both countries have reaped benefits equally by cooperating. As stated by the former foreign secretary of India, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, “India’s relations with Bangladesh are a role model in international affairs”. Thus, the essence of the connection should not fade away, and abiding by friendship is a must for both neighbouring countries.
Akanksha Roy has a Master's in Political Science from Jamshedpur Women’s University, India.
