Go further with Dhaka

New Delhi needs to do more

The official visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India is an appropriate moment to take stock of a bilateral relationship that, while stronger than ever at the government-to-government level, is yet underperforming on some important metrics. During the visit, seven agreements and three projects were arranged. The scope of these agreements is quite wide. Much attention has focused, for example, on radar-based surveillance systems being set up along the Bangladesh coast. This is an important development in the field of maritime security in the Bay of Bengal. Another useful development is the finalising of a shared procedure for the use of two Bangladeshi ports, Mongla and Chattogram, for the shipment of goods to and from the Indian north-east. Bangladesh will also help out eastern India in terms of the supply of liquefied petroleum gas in bulk.

All of these are important steps forward. The shipping agreement must be seen as part of a larger attempt to ensure that connectivity improves to India’s north-eastern states, for which access to the Bay of Bengal through Bangladesh is essential. Security cooperation in the Bay of Bengal is also vital if Beijing’s increased presence in the western edge of the Indo-Pacific is to be managed. Yet, the outstanding issues should not be minimised, either. It is unfortunate, for example, that no final solution has been found so far on the question of the Teesta river waters. While Bangladesh has agreed to help out with water from the Feni river for a parched Tripura town, Indian officials need to recognise the emotive impact of the Teesta issue in Bangladesh and act quickly to remove it as an irritant. West Bengal politics served to undermine an agreement on this issue during the rule of the United Progressive Alliance in New Delhi. While the Bharatiya Janata Party may now fancy its chances in West Bengal in the next Assembly elections, the Teesta issue cannot be postponed until after the politics of West Bengal settles down. State politics cannot hold up vital strategic matters indefinitely in this manner.

The priority must be integrating the two economies through infrastructure and shared procedures. There has been a welcome movement on the provision of railway rolling stock to Bangladesh, but common vehicle permissions need to be finalised. Non-tariff barriers on Bangladeshi goods in India must be ironed out, through shared phytosanitary standards and laboratory testing. India-Bangladesh trade is less than $10 billion, and could easily be doubled. The closer the two countries are in economic terms, the more both will benefit, and the less likely there is to be any future divergence on security issues. It is also essential for New Delhi to take the long view. While Sheikh Hasina is a vital partner in Dhaka, India-Bangladeshi relations must be expanded beyond warm relations with the ruling dispensation. People-to-people contact must be made easier. Outreach to civil society in Bangladesh, in the absence of a credible opposition, must be enhanced. Good relations with India must be seen as a non-partisan priority in Dhaka the way it is in New Delhi. If India has to go the extra mile to ensure this, for example, on river waters or the joint use of surveillance data, then it is very much in the national interest to do so.