International News
Bangladesh-India Partnership: A Bastion of Regional Stability in South Asia
India was one of the first countries to establish bilateral diplomatic ties with Bangladesh. With the recognition of independence of Bangladesh on December 6, 1971, this relation was born out of Bangladesh’s liberation struggle against the oppressive force of Pakistan.
The year 2021 marks the glorious 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between both states which is also the golden jubilee of Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan.
Bangladesh and India celebrate their tremendous efforts of being ‘trusted friends’ over the years. Both the countries decided to commemorate December 6 as ‘Maitri Diwas’ (Friendship Day) during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Modi on the occasion of golden jubilee of Bangladesh in March 2021. The bilateral partnership has flourished every aspect of cooperation from trade to energy, security to connectivity. The magnitude of friendship and partnership between Bangladesh India over the past decade has contributed to a paradigm shift in their bilateral relations. Many analysts term the relationship as a model for other countries in South Asia and beyond.
Bangladesh and India share a 4,096 km-long international border, the fifth-longest land border in the world, being the neighbouring state and the liberation wartime ally, Bangladesh considers bond with India is inscribed in blood, which is hard to shake. However, this bond faced strategic changes with the regime change in Bangladesh started from 1975 after the assassination of Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, as the period before that was known as ‘honeymoon period’ (1971-1975) of the relations.
After that, Bangladesh experienced military regimes which ended the honeymoon period. During the period of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in 2001, the relations further took a downturn due to its anti-India posturing. Later, it started to improve when Sheikh Hasina led- Awami League government came to power.
In 2010, Hasina visited New Delhi to build a ‘stable and fruitful relationship’, and both the nations sought to address cross-border terrorism and India’s connectivity with Bangladesh through the northeast region. In a joint communique, the two Prime Ministers shared vision for the future which would include cooperation in water resources, power, transportation, connectivity, tourism, and education. Later on in 2013, a credit line of $800 million was extended by the Manmohan Singh government and ‘Maitreyi express’ was revived between Kolkata and Dhaka that operationalises the bus services in these routes.
In 2017, Sheikh Hasina visited New Delhi and the result was dozens of agreements being signed concerning trade, transport, energy as well as counterterrorism. The bilateral trade of India with Bangladesh steadily improved over the years, as it was about $6 billion in 2015-16 and crossed the landmark $10 billion in 2018-19. Hence, trade relations strengthened between the two nations and Bangladesh is India’s largest trading partner in South Asia with the total bilateral trade between the two nations standing at $9.5 billion in 2019-20.
Not only economic ties, but also India’s shared cooperation with Bangladesh in the areas of security, counter-terrorism, anti-radicalisation, energy, advanced tech, ecology, vaccines would contribute largely in the South Asian regional stability. South Asian region is at cross-roads due to a new geopolitical landscape, looming economic crisis, and security challenges triggered by Afghanistan situation, Pakistan crisis and Sri Lanka crisis. The impact of the Ukraine War, threats of terrorism and radicalization and bilateral conflicts has further caused regional instability in South Asia. In this context, bilateral partnership between Bangladesh and India is critical from a regional perspective.
Bangladesh-India Partnership: An Epitome of Regional Cooperation
Undoubtedly, in South Asia, the partnership that exists between Bangladesh and India is an exemplary one. Starting from the trade partnership to security cooperation, both the countries enjoy the support of each other and can negotiate in areas like land boundary, connectivity, trade deficits, water problem and maritime disputes. Bangladesh and India enjoy benefits from bilateral cooperation in a win-win situation in the areas of economy, security, trade, ports, energy, investment, social links, and transit issues.
Economic Cooperation
Both Bangladesh and India consider each other as one of the vital trading partners. India is the second largest trade partner of Bangladesh. Bangladesh’s share in India’s export increased from 1.4 per cent in 2010 to 3.5 per cent in 2021. India’s share in Bangladesh’s goods exports stood at 3.3 per cent. Being part of South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA), both the countries get preferential treatments in case of tariff concessions in their respective markets. Bangladesh is by far the largest trading partner for India in South Asia, which portrays the positive economic cooperation that exists between both states. This cooperation is significant in a region like South Asia to deepen mutual understanding that would develop the region gradually as an integrated, secured and self-sufficient unit.
Security Relations
The security and military ties of the two countries were established in 1971 during the glorious days of Liberation War of Bangladesh when India actively provided its military support. The partnership between the two nations pioneered extraordinary level of security cooperation during the Bangabandhu government, 1972-1975 which discontinued with the tragedy of assassination of Bangabandhu on August 15, 1975. The security cooperation revived based on mutual understand during the Sheikh Hasina government first in 1996-2001 and then 2009-present.
In 2015, during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Bangladesh, both the countries agreed on joint coast guards in view of combating piracy and enhancing maritime security in the Bay of Bengal region.
Hasina and Modi held a dialogue on “regional security and cooperation in combating international terrorism.” Both countries’ higher officials signed a variety of agreement including cyber security, defence, connectivity, energy, and a civil nuclear cooperation.
The signing of memorandum of understanding (MoU) on defence cooperation during the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to New Delhi in 2017 is another milestone in security cooperation. These agreements are not only crucial to maintain bilateral peace but also required for maintaining regional stability in South Asia. As Pakistan in the region is more known to support and breed terrorism, terrorist activities, a stronger Bangladesh-India military cooperation would strengthen their security by countering any military or terrorist threats.
Recent Developments in their Relations
In June 2015, Premiers of both countries implemented the long awaited ‘Land Boundary Agreement’ and settled boundary disputes, hence 50,000 people living in the border enclaves received their identity. This agreement was termed ‘historic milestone’. The disputed land areas were source of human trafficking, illicit migration, smuggling, hubs of terrorists, which were overall a threat for regional stability. With the combined efforts of Bangladesh and India, a proper solution was made.
The maritime boundary dispute in the Bay of Bengal between Bangladesh and India were solved in 2014. The resolution of the dispute was a win-win arrangement for both the countries. Bangladesh is also a part of BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal), a sub-regional initiative that is motivated to improve connectivity and economic development among the member states.
Though the regional initiatives in South Asia gained less traction previously, still India proposed this multilateral initiative with the intention of strategic connection and cooperation where Bangladesh plays a significant role. An agreement in the sector of connectivity would ease channels for carrying trade across these states. India’s core foreign policy focus on the ‘Neighbourhood First’ reminds them to connect neighbouring states, Bangladesh-India relation is an example of this and it leverages the entire region as a whole.
The proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the two nations is one of the agreements that both the countries are prioritizing. In March 2021, two states agreed to enhance trade under this agreement with a need for the removal of non-tariff barriers, need for predictability of trade policies, regulations and procedures. This is mutually beneficial for a rising economy like Bangladesh and a prospering India, which sets a ‘benchmark of relation’ in South Asia, that overall contributes in a stable regional progress.
Leading to the Regional Stability in South Asia
South Asian region had been more contentious in terms of regional cooperation and stability, than any other regions in the world. A region having two arch-rivals India and Pakistan on one hand and the other smaller economies like Nepal, Bhutan on the other hand makes it difficult for consensus building, policy preparations.
Hence, to succeed initiatives like BBIN and BIMSTEC, bilateral cooperation between Bangladesh and India would strengthen regional integrity in terms of economic, connectivity, security and socio-cultural issues. To revive the historical economic connections, eight Border Haats have been set along Bangladesh’s borders with Meghalaya and Tripura. Indian concern about using Bangladesh territory as a base by the insurgent groups of its North-eastern states, was largely mitigated by the stern actions taken by Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh. The Hasina government also increased border monitoring to arrest any smuggling efforts for the insurgents in the Northeastern states of India. With these actions from Bangladesh, terrorism, smuggling, human trafficking, arms trade came to a check across the borders that not only serve these two states but also security concerns of the region. Hence, it’s an example for other neighbouring states to build a win-win advantageous bilateral relations based on trust and collaboration to advance the vision of a stable South Asia.
With such a bonhomie, scholars argue the ‘honeymoon period has returned’ for Bangladesh-India, which is actually a fact. In terms of connectivity, energy sectors, investments in Bangladesh initially in the garments, textiles and telecom sectors and are now expanding steadily into the power and infrastructure, Bangladesh government also allocated a special economic zone in the country for Indian entrepreneurs. These advancements crafted the pathway for deep bilateral engagements, sub-regional progress through BIMSTEC, BBIN which would contribute to the regional stability.
Finally, the relation between Bangladesh and India is time tested, a bond that is built with the struggles and blood. Bangladesh, particularly the current government of Sheikh Hasina is maintaining a deeper tie with their neighbours state India, which now reached a new height in terms of economic, security, energy, connectivity, bilateral and sub-regional cooperation. There are also new sectors of cooperation between the two countries, and they already revived the ‘golden era’ of friendship.
From a South Asian regional perspective, the domino effect of this partnership or relation is positively felt by the other neighbouring states, eventually the whole region marked by stability and peace. This partnership is thus, works more as a bastion of equilibrium, balance and stability in the construction of a peaceful region through negating terrorism, cross-border arms trade, human trafficking, smuggling, and insurgent activities. More the countries learn from the exemplary and celebrated Bangladesh-India partnership in the South Asian region, better they would be able to reciprocate and act on it to create an integrated stable region.
International News
Bangladesh High Court orders high-level probe into power deals with Adani group amid supply cuts
Bangladesh’s High Court ordered the formation of a high-level enquiry committee comprising international energy and law experts to reevaluate all electricity-related agreements with the Adani group, The Business Standard, a local news portal, reported on Tuesday, November 19.
The bench of Justices Farah Mahbub and Debasish Roy Chowdhury has reportedly ordered the cabinet secretary to form the committee within a month and submit the report to the court in the next two months.
Adani Power shares closed 0.47 per cent lower at ₹524.10 on Tuesday’, compared to ₹526.60 at the previous market close.
The court, while hearing a petition, asked why instructions should not be given to cancel the uneven agreements made with the Adani group. It also asked for the documents related to the signing of the deal within a month.
Barrister M Abdul Qayyum, representing the petitioner, filed the writ in the High Court asking for the cancellation of all electricity deals with Adani group. Adani signed the 25-year power purchase agreement in 2017; at that time, no imported coal-based power plants were operational in Bangladesh, as per the report.
Adani’s Bangladesh power supply
Adani group’s Bangladesh power is supplied from Jharkhand’s 1,600 MW power plant. The cost of power is $0.1008 per unit or Tk12 per unit, a Bangladesh Power Development Board official was quoted as saying in the report.
This rate is 27 per cent higher than the rate of India’s other private producers and as much as 63 per cent more than the Indian state-owned plants.
After Adani Power cut the Bangladesh power supply by half over the unpaid dues, the company also set a deadline of November 7 to switch off the flow of electricity if there was no clarity on the settlement of the outstanding amount.
Bangladesh reportedly owes Adani almost $850 million. Adani group later clarified that it had not demanded the full payment in seven days, as per the report.
Shortage of Power
Bangladesh continues to face a shortage of electricity, increasing the risk of blackouts, even after making a partial payment to Adani group, according to a Bloomberg report on Tuesday.
Adani Power has received a letter of credit for $170 million, easing pressures from lenders, reported the agency, citing two people aware of the development. The partial payment doesn’t resolve the crisis, but the company won’t halt supplies for now, pending talks with the lenders of the Godda thermal plant in Jharkhand, the officials said.
“Payments should have been made by this time,” Ahsan H Mansur, governor of Bangladesh Bank, said in a phone interview on Friday as per the report. The central bank “issued an instruction for the payment”, Mansur had said earlier this week.
The Adani electric supply accounts for nearly 10 per cent of Bengladesh’s total supply. The power company reduced its supply further to 500 megawatts on Thursday after cutting it to 700 megawatts earlier, as per the data collected from Power Grid Bangladesh cited in the news report.
International News
Pakistan blast: 14 Army soldiers among 25 killed at Quetta railway station in Balochistan
Pakistan blast: A bombing claimed by Pakistani separatists killed 25 people, including 14 Army soldiers, at a railway station in Quetta in Balochistan province on Saturday, November 9. The blast hit as passengers waited on a platform at the main railway station in the provincial capital Quetta.
“Fourteen army personnel are among the 25 confirmed dead,” said Muhammad Baloch, a senior local police official, raising an earlier toll of 22 provided by the local government,
At the time of the blast, a train was ready to depart from the platform for Peshawar, reported news agency Reuters.
Quetta senior superintendent of Police (SSP) operations Mohammad Baloch earlier said the incident “seems to be a suicide blast” but it would be too early to say for sure, adding that an investigation was underway to ascertain the nature of the blast.
Mohammad Baloch, a senior police officer, said the bomb exploded when passengers were waiting for a train to travel to the garrison city of Rawalpindi from Quetta.
In a statement, Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said police and security forces had reached the site of the incident.
Shahid Rind said the nature of the blast was being investigated as the Bomb Disposal Squad was collecting evidence from the site, and a report on the incident had been sought.
Shahid Rind said the death toll from the attack was likely to rise as some of the wounded passengers were listed in critical condition.
The government official stated that an ‘emergency’ has been imposed in the hospitals there, adding that the “injured were being provided with medical aid,
The train station explosion hit at around 8:45am (0345 GMT) and was claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), one of the area’s main separatist groups.
The attack “was carried out on a Pakistani army unit at Quetta railway station… after completing a course at the Infantry School,” the BLA said in a statement.
The Associated Press of Pakistan, the official news agency, cited railway officials as saying the blast happened near the ticket booth when two trains were scheduled to depart.
Pakistan’s largest and poorest province, resource-rich Balochistan is home to separatist militants.
International News
‘My Heart Is Full Today’: US VP Harris After Conceding Defeat
US Vice President Kamala Harris while addressing supporters at Howard University appeared emotional at her loss, but expressed hope for the betterment of the country.
Donald Trump won a second term in office in the presidential polls. He surpassed the 270-majority mark with a key win in Wisconsin.
Harris expressed hope and said that the light of the US’s promise would burn bright as long as people kept fighting.
“My heart is full today, full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, full of love for our country, and full of resolve. The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for. But hear me when I say, the light of America’s promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting,” she said.
Harris thanked her husband, Douglas Emhoff, Second Gentleman of the United States, US President Joe Biden and his family, her running mate Tim Walz and the entire team for their support.
“To my beloved Doug and our family, I love you so very much. To President Biden and Dr Biden, thank you for your faith and support. To Governor Walz and the Walz family, I know your service to our nation will continue. And to my extraordinary team, to the volunteers who gave so much of themselves, to the poll workers and the local election officials. I thank you all,” she said.
Choking back her tears, Harris said that she was proud of the way the team ran for the race over the course of the campaign period. She said that the campaign was a reminder of the fact that there was a lot more in common among them than what separated them.
“I am so proud of the race we ran and the way we ran it. Over the 107 days of this campaign, we have been intentional about building community and building coalitions, bringing people together from every walk of life and background, by the love of country, with enthusiasm and joy in our fight for America’s future. And we did it with the knowledge that we all have so much more in common than what separates us. Now, I know folks are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now. I get it. But we must accept the results of this election,” she said.
Harris added that she spoke to President-elect Donald Trump and congratulated him on his win. She added that what distinguishes a democracy from tyranny or monarchy is to accept the election result.
“Earlier today, I spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory. I also told him that we will help him and his team with their transition, and that we will engage in a peaceful transfer of power. A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny. And anyone who seeks the public trust must honour it. At the same time, in our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or a party, but to the Constitution of the United States, and loyalty to our conscience and to our God. My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fuelled this campaign,” she said.
Harris said that the fight that she won’t give up is a fight to reflect the US at its best. She subtly hinted at the controversial abortion ban, the overturning of which was a part of her campaign and said that her fight would continue for women’s rights over their bodies.
“The fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness, and the dignity of all people. A fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation. The ideals that reflect America at our best. That is a fight I will never give up. I will never give up the fight for a future where Americans can pursue their dreams, ambitions, and aspirations. Where the women of America have the freedom to make decisions about their own body and not have their government telling them what to do. We will never give up the fight to protect our schools and our streets from gun violence. America, we will never give up the fight for our democracy, for the rule of law, for equal justice, and for the sacred idea that every one of us, no matter who we are or where we start out, has certain fundamental rights and freedoms that must be respected and upheld,” she said.
Harris added that her fight would continue everywhere. Subtly hinting at Trump’s policy of ‘sealing the borders’, said that the fight also includes acceptance of strangers as neighbours.
“We will continue to wage this fight in the voting booth, in the courts, and in the public square. And we will also wage it in quieter ways, in how we live our lives, by treating one another with kindness and respect, by looking in the face of a stranger and seeing a neighbour, by always using our strength to lift people up, to fight for the dignity that all people deserve,” she said.
Harris added that the fight for such freedom requires hard work, but it is always worth it.
“The fight for our freedom will take hard work, but like I always say, we like hard work. Hard work is good work. Hard work can be joyful work. And the fight for our country is always worth it. It is always worth it,” she said.
Addressing the young voters, which was Harris’s trump card, she said that the fight wasn’t over yet, and it was time to roll sleeves up, and not give up.
“To the young people who are watching, it is okay to feel sad and disappointed. But please know it’s going to be okay. On the campaign, I would often say, when we fight, we win. But here’s the thing, here’s the thing. Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. The important thing is don’t ever give up.
Don’t ever stop trying to make the world a better place. You have power. And don’t you ever listen when anyone tells you something is impossible because it has never been done before. You have the capacity to do extraordinary good in the world. And so to everyone who is watching, do not despair. This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves. This is a time to organize, to mobilize, and to stay engaged for the sake of freedom and justice and the future that we all know we can build together,” she said.
Harris motivated people by asking them to find light within themselves and draw strength.
“Look, many of you know I started out as a prosecutor and throughout my career I saw people at some of the worst times in their lives. People who had suffered great harm and great pain. And yet found within themselves the strength and the courage and the resolve to take the stand, to fight for justice, to fight for themselves, to fight for others. So let their courage be our inspiration. Let their determination be our charge. And I’ll close with this. There’s an adage and historian once called a law of history. True of every society across the ages.
The adage is, only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for the benefit of us all, I hope that is not the case. But here’s the thing, America, if it is, let us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion of stars. The light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service,” she said.
Harris concluded by asking for God’s blessings for the people and the country.
“May that work guide us, even in the face of setbacks, toward the extraordinary promise of the United States of America. I thank you all. May God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America,” she said.
Several of her supporters appeared extremely sad and cheered for her.
Aaron Carter, a supporter of Harris, said, “I think Kamala’s [Harris] speech was uniting. She tried to be optimistic about the future, which was great. I hope she will be back here next time again for the Presidency. I think she was a great candidate as she managed to bring the really young crowd to support her. It was fantastic.”
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