Keeping Bangladesh at Bay

The friction in bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh ever since the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina continues unchecked. Under the new regime of banker-turned-politician Muhammad Yunus, security threats against India have multiplied. The latest being the efforts by Bangladesh to thwart the fencing of borders between the two countries.

On Monday, Bangladesh’s acting High Commissioner to India, Md Nural Islam, was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and told that, “with regard to security measures at the border, including on fencing, India observed all protocols and agreements between the two governments and between the Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).”

This was a tit-for-tat step after India’s High Commissioner Pranay Verma was summoned by Bangladesh’s Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin over “incidents” of border fencing. Jashim Uddin had “stressed that such activities, particularly the unauthorized attempts to construct barbed wire fencing and the related operations by the BSF, have caused tensions and disturbances along the border. He emphasised that the construction of barbed wire fences without proper authorization undermines the spirit of cooperation and friendly relations between the two countries.”

Notwithstanding the diplomatese used in the Bangladeshi statement, the reality is that unfenced borders between India and Bangladesh have led to severe demographic consequences for India over the past many decades. In many Indian states, demographic changes have occurred to such an extent that entire districts are virtually Bangladeshi enclaves: they are part of India’s territory but in effect the population there is not Indian. India has to fence the borders with Bangladesh if it is to prevent threats to internal security. Internal security has a demographic component that cannot be denied any longer.

According to Bangladesh, of the 4,156-km long border between the two countries, India has fenced 3,271 kms, with some 885 kms remaining unfenced. Five Indian states—West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram—share the international border with Bangladesh.

The problem for India is that the territory that has not been fenced is geographically challenging: either it is riverine in nature, forested or simply inaccessible due to a combination of local geographic features. It allows for unchecked migration from Bangladesh, a country that has literally run out of land and is desperately short of resources. The Bangladeshi Foreign Secretary’s statement must be evaluated against this unpleasant reality. This must be acknowledged and not brushed under the carpet of alleged “unauthorized activities” by the BSF. They are India’s first line of defence and to say they are indulging in “unauthorised activities” is not just absurd but casts serious doubts on Bangladesh’s intentions.

So far, India has handled the changes in Bangladesh with tact and a degree of understanding beyond what is called for. But India’s territorial and demographic integrity is something not negotiable.

BangladeshdiplomacyIndia-Bangladesh relationsMd Nural IslamMEAMuhammad YunusSheikh HasinaWeb Exclusive