India Bangladesh Relations Background: Birth of Bangladesh: Bangladesh was born out of Bangladesh liberation war of 1971 followed

d by India entering the war known as Indo-Pakistan war of 1971 Bangladesh war of Liberation: Causes: When India & Pakistan got independence, Pakistan had two parts na ely !ast Pakistan & West Pakistan

"he #iberation Pakistan

ainly happened due to the step

otherly treat ent

eted towards !ast

West Pakistan had four pro$inces% Pun&ab, 'indh, Balochistan, and the (orth-West )rontier* "he fifth pro$ince was !ast Pakistan

!ast Pakistan ade 7+, of Pakistan-s e.ports yet was pro$ided only /0, of the i ported oney

!ast Pakistan had the highest population of all the 0 pro$inces yet had $ery less political power when co pared to west

In 1912 3uha ad 4li 5innah stated the official language of Pakistan was 6rdu there was resent ent a ong !ast Pakistanis as they spoke Bangla,they disagreed*

"his lead to protests in !ast Pakistan on /1 )ebruary 190/ 7 students were killed in fierce protest

/1 )ebruary since then is obser$ed each year to e phasi7e the i portance of the Bengali language*

)ebruary /1st is now recogni7ed as the International 3other #anguage 8ay by the 6nited (ations

9yclone Bhola hit east Pakistan in 1971 killing 0 lakh people the Pakistani :o$t* did not pro$ide enough relief adding ore isery

Immediate Causes "he 4wa i #eague, led by 'heikh 3u&ibur ;ah an, won a landslide $ictory in the national elections in 1971 and de anded autono y for !ast Pakistan*

"his $ictory ga$e it the right to for a go$ern ent, but <ulfikar 4li Bhutto, the 9hair an of the Pakistan People-s Party refused to let the 'heikh beco e the Pri e 3inister of Pakistan*

"he war broke out when Pakistani 4r y launched Operation Searchlight which was to kill anybody who supported the clai of accepting the de ocratic elections that ga$e 4wa i clear a&ority

In response !ast Pakistan declared Independence, Bengali ilitary, para ilitary and ci$ilians for ed the 3ukti Bahini, which engaged in guerrilla warfare against Pakistani forces*

"he wide spread atrocities by Pakistani 4r y lead to refugees entering India, "he !ast Pakistan-India border was opened to allow refugees safe shelter in India

"he then P3 Indira :andhi appealed to international co response*

unity with no proper

Indian intelligence trained the 3ukti Bahini

=n 9 4ugust 1971, India signed a twenty-year co-operation treaty with the 'o$iet 6nion which pro ised ilitary support to nation on being attacked

"o the Pakistani leadership this see ed to be a plan by India to go on war with Pakistan

Operation Chengis Khan was launched on India, Pakistan 4ir force attacked forward air bases of India*

"he then P3 Indira :andhi declared war on Pakistan & thus India entered the war on 8ece ber >,1971 ended on 1?, 8ece ber 1971 liberating !ast Pakistan the future Bangladesh *

War ended in 1> days one of the shortest in history

9hina & 6'4 were one of the last countries to recogni7e Bangladesh

What followed Soon after Bangladesh was recogni7ed Indira :andhi signed treaty with 4cting president (a7rul Isla according to which India would lea$e Bangladesh as soon as nor alcy returned to Bangladesh

!reat" of #riendship 'hiek 3u&ib soon after assu ing office signed "reaty of )riendship & Peace with India

"reaty of )riendship & Peace was signed for a period of /0years

It spoke of )riendship, pro ise not interfere in each other internal affairs

In case of aggression against either of the countries both would consult each other

(ot to support a third country when aggression on one another ,not to attack each other

!he !rade $greement 'hort ter agree ent signed between two countries pro$ided duty free 7one upto 1?k on both sides of the border

"rade up to 0+ 9rore a year , arket access to Bangladesh

Shimla $greement %&'( "he treaty was signed in 'hi la, India, by <ulfi@ar 4li Bhutto, the Pri e 3inister of Pakistan, and Indira :andhi, the Pri e 3inister of India*

'igned between India & Pakistan to put an end to the conflict and confrontation that ha$e hitherto arred their relations #ead to dipo atic recognition of Bangladesh by Pakistan

)elhi $greement %&'* =n the ;epatriation of War and 9i$ilian Internees is a tripartite agree ent between India,Pakistan & Bangladesh 'igned by foreign inisters of respecti$e countries

$ssasination of +u,ibur Rehaman Bangladesh-s econo y worsened prices sky rocked, 3u&ib ;eh an declared e ergency and assu ed all powers on hi self 4 coup A1970B was staged by ar y Isla ic funda entalis a&ors & 3u&ib was killed

rose ,#t* :eneral <ia-ur-;eh an assu ed power

Bangladesh beca e pro Pakistani,beca e Isla ic ;epublic when its Parlia ent passed 4 end ent bill in 1922 declaring Isla as a 'tate religion #t* :eneral <ia-ur-;eh an ruled till 1921 was killed replaced by ci$ilian President 'attar who again was replaced in a bloodless coup by #t*:en*!rshad !rshad took Bangladesh ore closer to Isla ic countries,oil producing countries

Bangladesh beca e pro Pakistan and anti India*

!he +ilitar" -ears 4fter the death of 3u&ib ;eha an, ruled till 1921 was the founder of Bangladesh (ationalist Party 'heik Casina was in self e.ile in India post her )ather 3u&ib-s assassination only to return when elected as #eader of the 4wa i league 8uring rule Bangladesh turned pro Isla ic and pro 9hina to an e.tend of 9hina beco ing leading ar s supplier 9hina supplied fifteen )-? fighter &ets and in 192?, they issued si.teen Bangladesh did this to counter balance India in the region India started aiding 'hinti Bahini guerrillas in the 9hittagong Cill "racts, as Bangladesh began to ser$e as a conduit for ar s and a ho e base for insurgents in (ortheast India* <ia-ur-;eh an was contro$ersial for supporting pro Pakistani anti liberation leaders who killed 3u&ibur ;eh an )ollowing a bloodless coup #t*:en*!rshad took the reign,he ruled by artial law ore 4-0 fighters*

)ollowing the collapse of the 'o$iet 6nion, pressure fro western donors for refor s aided in the de ocratic o$e ent, !rshad resigned following students protest against the regi e

)emocrac" in Bangladesh %&&./(..& Bangladesh (ationalist Party assu ed power led by Dhaleda <ia, she followed the policy of earlier ilitary regi es ,Pro Pakistan, 9hina ga$e safe hea$en to terrorists "he election of 'heik Casina greatly i pro$ed India-Bangladesh relations

Issues Between India 0 Bangladesh Water

Sharing of 1anga waters: #arraka Barrage ;i$er :anga originating fro :angotri flows south eastern direction fro reaches Bangladesh

India and

;i$er :anga bifurcates south of )arraka in 3urshidabad district of West Bengal "he water dispute is 3ay ainly during the lean season of the :anges between 5anuary and

)low of :anga reduces to 00+++cusecs,Dolkatta Port needs a ini u of 1++++cusecs lea$ing only 10+++cusecs for Bangladesh which is insufficient for the 'tudies showed that Dolkatta Port needed ini u of 1++++cusecs for its safety*

"he )arraka Barrage was built when Bangladesh was still !ast Pakistan 19?1-71 In197/ 5oint ;i$ers 9o ission was setup in accordance with 3u&&ib - Indira agree ent

3u&ib $isited India in 1971 which lead to signing of agree ent in 1970,India agreed to allow about 2+, of water to Bangladesh in ?weeks of the lean period

4fter 3u&ib-s assassination India-s attitude changed,as the agree ent e.pired India returned to drawing the nor al 1++++cusecs

!he %&'' $greement "his agree ent was signed by the new go$ern ent led by P3 3ora&i desai & <ia ur ;eh an Pro$ided partial solution as it spoke of only water release during the lean period only It was set such that sharing of water would be regulated e$ery 1+ days 0 year agree ent e.pired by 192/ "he old agree ent was e.tended between the then P3 Indira :andhi and President !rshad "he 3ini u a$ailability clause of the old agree ent was deleted and the sharing of water depended on the a$ailability of water "he agree ent e.pired by 1922 and s India drew water on adhoc basis India suggested a link canal between Bra ahaputra & :anges as the current discharge of water was low to share between the two countries Bangladesh refused the offer calling it Elegally un&ustifiable, technically i practical, econo ically and ecologically disastrous*F

2ew !reat": Bilateral treaty was signed by the Indian Pri e inister C* 8* 8e$e :owda and his Bangladeshi counterpart 'heik Casina Wa&ed on 1/ 8ece ber, 199?* "his treaty established a thirty year water sharing arrange ent with guaranteed ini u @uantities of water supply for Bangladesh, whose rights as a lower riparian country was recogni7ed* "he >+ year water sharing treaty en$isaged that the water of the :anges ;i$er would be distributed fro )arakka for the two countries between 1 5anuary and >1 3ay of each year

India was re@uired to pre$ious 1+ years

aintain the flow of )arakka at the a$erage le$el of the

!eesta Ri3er Water )ispute: "he 192> "eesta ;i$er 4gree ent allows India and Bangladesh to share 70 percent of the ri$er water on a >9 and >? percent basis* "he "eesta ;i$er floodplain that includes the e.tre e northwest region of Bangladesh accounts for 11, of the total cropped area in /++1 4round ?>, of the total cropped area in the region is irrigated laying down a direct link between irrigational water a$ailability and agricultural use* "he floodplain which is presently considered a dry 7one depends on the "rans Boundary ;i$er flows between India and Bangladesh 8uring Pri e 3inister 3an ohan 'ingh-s $isit to Bangladesh in /+11, it was announced that India would share the re aining /0 percent of the ri$er water on a 0+%0+ basis* "his et with opposition fro West Bengal 93 3a ata Baner&ee as it far ers of her state and the signing was held back ight affect

=n 1+ )ebruary /+1>, Indian )oreign 'ecretary, ;an&an 3athai pledged conclusi$e obligation o$er the "eesta ordeal, EWe are unwa$ering in our co it ent to reach a satisfactory conclusion within the shortest possible ti efra eG* Land )isputes

!he 2ew +oore Island )ispute (ew 3oore Island co$ering an area of /t o1/s@*k ,depending on rising and receding tide is located in the Bay of Bengal* It is 0+++ eters fro Indian coastal point and 7+++ eters fro Bangladesh coastal point

It was first noticed in 1971,notified to British 4d iralty West Bengal :o$t called it PurbhashaACope of !astB,Bangladesh called it 'outh "alapatty In 192+ when Indian flag was hoisted Bangladesh protested calling it a disputed area* India had followed the E3edian #ine principleG

"his eans an e@uidistant line drawn on plotted points on the sea fro of the contending counties* Bangladesh e$en threatened to take it to 6(

the nearest shores

Indo/Bangladesh land boundar" agreement / "he 9onstitution AOne 4undred and 2ineteenth5 $mendment Bill6 (.%*7!48 4I2)9 dated $ug %*6(.%*5 "he a end ent bill yet to be passed will lead to transfer of land worth 1++++acres of land to Bangladesh,these transfers are encla$es*

What is a 8ncla3e :eographical "erritories of countries lacking geographical contiguity for ing parts of one state so eti es results in so e parts being surrounded by the territory of another state* 'uch territories are ter ed encla$es* !*g Pakistan before 1971 had two discontinuous territories !ast & West "he residents of an encla$e cannot tra$el to their Hho e state- without crossing international borders and obtaining the necessary per ission for the sa e* :o$ern ental agencies of the ho e state cannot access the encla$e without the per ission of the state that surrounds the encla$e* 4s per the &oint $erification carried out by the Indian and Bangladeshi go$ern ents in 4pril 1997, there are 111 Indian encla$es in Bangladesh and 01 Bangladeshi encla$es in India* "he residents of these encla$es do not en&oy the sa e basic a enities that the citi7ens of their country en&oy, only for practical proble s of access* ainland

By the #and Boundary 4gree ent of 1971 between the two countries, and the /+11 Protocol to the said 4gree ent, India and Bangladesh agreed to e.change these s all parcels of land and better de arcate the land boundary between the * "he borders of the Indian 'tates of 4ssa , West Bengal, 3eghalaya and "ripura will be affected by this e.change of territory

Indian/Bangladesh 8:ample !in Bigha Corridor:

'ource% http%IIcoochbehar*nic*inIht filesItinbigha*ht l

8ahagra and 4ngorpota,the two encla$es of Bangladesh are separated fro district ;angpur of Bangladesh by a s all patch of an acre of Indian territory called "inBigha*

"he transit of Bangladeshis $ia "in Bigha was sought to be settled when Indira :andhi and Bangladesh President C*3*!rshad signed an agree ent in192/* It was agreed upon that "in Bigha would be leased to Bangladesh People and security personnel of Bangladesh would ha$e the right to free and unfettered o$e ent and they would not be re@uired to carry tra$el docu ents of any kind* "his didn-t happen as this needed a constitutional a end ent and was opposed by the opposition !rade

!ransshipment 0 !ransit !ransshipment refers to the ship ent of goods or containers to an inter ediate destination, and then to yet another destination* "ransship ent transport* ay also refer to the sa e o$e ent using Bangladeshowned

"ransship ent has been achie$ed by India in its relationship with Bangladesh* !ransit refers to the passage of Indian good across Bangladeshi borders to and fro the (orth !astern states of Indian owned surface transport Bangladesh, on the >1 3ay, /+1+ signed an agree ent to finali7e a transship ent deal with India to allow Indian goods to be transported to "ripura through Bangladeshi territory* :oods produced in (orth east are affected because transport fro (orth east to Dolkatta port is high, ha pering trade this can be reduced by agree ent with respect to transit fro Bangladesh "he two countries were supposed to sign an agree ent in /+11 allowing transit access to India* With India holding back on the "eesta issue, Bangladesh decided not go forward and sign the agree ent* "ransit access opposed in Bangladesh as it ay help India increase its the (orth !ast region indirectly irritating 9hina for helping India ilitary strength in

"he only transit currently a$ailable is Siliguri corridor also known as Chicken neck is a narrow stretch that connects India to rest of (orth !ast

'ource%Wikipedia% ;ed circle -J 'iliguri corridor

!rade Weak econo ic ties has been one of the irritants in India KBangladesh relationship "he trade deficit on the Bangladeshi side has been increasing on a$erage 9, annually "rade deficits ste fro both trade and non trade barriers

!rade barriers I position of state ta. 4ntidu ping A48B 9ounter$ailing duties 2on trade Barriers #aboratory tests in Bangladesh, especially for food products, cos etics, and leather and te.tiles products* Packaging re@uire ents Inade@uate infrastructure facilities such as warehousing

Illegal & Infor al trade fro India to Bangladesh has been a irritant as it leads to loss of custo s duty Illegal Immigration Bangladeshis enter India illegally because of poor econo ic conditions in Bangladesh Bangladesh is huge labour surplus country thus aking India a pull factor

"here has been $iews that Bangladesh pro oting lebensrau Ae.panded li$ing space or habitatB which has led to such large presence of Bangladeshis especially in the border region* 3igration has lead to Cu an trafficking ,flesh trade in the country

Indian Response 'teps to identify these illegal igrants were taken under the )oreigners 4ct, 191? and under the Illegal 3igrants 8eter ination by" ribunal AI38"B 4ct, 192> of 4ssa * I38" act was struck down by 'upre e 9ourt

"hese ha$e pro$ided little result due to ethnic, linguistic, cultural, physical and social si ilarities, Bangladeshi nationals tend to erge easily with the local population aking it difficult to identify the * #encing 9ontinuous illegal igration pro pted India to fence its international borders with Bangladesh* Initially this pro&ect was along as planned* eant to be co pleted by 1997 but the work has not o$ed

=ut of the total length of >,1>?*09 k been co pleted

to be fenced, so far fencing of /,7>0*1/ k

has

Conclusion "he )uture of India-Bangladesh relations depends on the soon to be held election in Bangladesh which is between 'heik CasinaAIncu bent P3B lead 4wa i league and Dhaleda <ia of Bangladesh (ationalist Party 'heik Casina eldest daughter of 3u&ibir ;eh an, founding father of Bangladesh-Pro India

Dhaleda <ia wife of <ia ur ;eh an who founded the Bangladesh (ationalist Party-Pro Isla ic-Pro Pakistani by 4ditya ;a$ichandran Sources http%IIwww*thehindu*co Itodays-paperItp-nationalItp-newdelhiIreconfiguring-bangladeshindiarelationsIarticle10191>+*ece http%IIwww*thehindu*co IopinionIleadIfuture-of-indiabangladesh-relationsIarticle7720+*ece http%IIwww*ficci*co Ispdocu entI/+121I'tatusPaperonIndiaBangladesh*pdf http%IIidcr*cprindia*orgIpIblog-pageL??>+*ht l http%IIthediplo at*co Ithe-pulseI/+1>I+9I+>Ithe-india-bangladesh-land-swap-dealI http%IIwww*aspenindia*orgIpdfIIndiaLBangladeshL;eport*pdf http%IIwww*ipcs*orgIpdfLfileIissueI';97*pdf http%IIidsa*inIidsastrategicco entsIDhaledasPakistan$isit'hifts)ocusto!cono ic'ynergyL'8at taL/7+/+? http%IIidsa*inIidsastrategicco entsI6nholyalliancein(orth!astIndiaL34'inghL19+/+9 http%IIidsa*inIidsastrategicco entsI>1th4nni$ersaryofBangladesh#iberationL96BhaskarL111/ +0 http%IIwww*thehindu*co IopinionIleadIindias-secret-war-in-bangladeshIarticle/7170>2*ece 0+109??11 http%IIwww*econo ist*co InewsIbooks-and-artsI/102?011-new-history-sheds-fresh-lightsha eful- o ent-a erican-foreign-policy-blood http%IIwww*a ibangladeshi*orgI4L(ationLIsLBorn http%IIwww*ipcs*orgIarticleIindiaIteesta-water-accord-e.pectations-for-indo-bangladesh-waterdiplo acy->2/0*ht l http%IIwww*thehindu*co IopinionIleadIa-settle ent-long-o$erdueIarticle0+1?>19*ece http%IIin$itetobd*blogspot*inI/+1/I+1Itin-bigha-corridor*ht l wikipedia Books India -' (eighbourhood 9hallenges in the (e.t "wo 8ecades-Idsa Candbook of India-s International ;elations- !dited by 8a$id 'cott-;outledge International

)oreign Policy of India* M ( Dhanna 2ote 3y last article was on India-4fghanistan ;elations*I intend to follow this up with other (eighouring countries of India, do suggest ways to i pro$e ent y writing skills* If you find the piece worth publishing in your website please do it*