New Delhi: With reports coming in that border talks between India and Bangladesh scheduled to be held in New Delhi next month have been postponed at the request of Dhaka, there are speculations about whether the ongoing political turmoil in the eastern neighbour has anything to do with this.
The PTI news agency reported on Saturday that the biannual talks between the heads of India’s Border Security Force and the Bangladesh Border Guard that were tentatively scheduled to be held in New Delhi between November 18 and 22 had to be postponed due to a change in plans in Dhaka.
Citing sources, the report stated that the Bangladesh side has informed it is working on an "early date" for the talks. It will be the 55th edition of the Director General (DG)-level talks between the two forces that also include officials from the home and external affairs ministries, and anti-narcotics, Customs and some other federal agencies from both the countries that have a stake in border management.
The BSF guards a 4,096-km-long international front with Bangladesh on India's eastern side. The DG-level border talks were held annually between 1975 and 1992 but made biannual in 1993 with either side alternatively travelling to the respective national capitals of New Delhi and Dhaka.
The 54th edition of the border talks between India and Bangladesh, held from March 5 to 9 this year in Dhaka, focused on enhancing border security and cooperation, with delegations led by India's BSF Director General Nitin Agrawal and BGB Director General Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui.
One of the primary concerns discussed was reducing violent incidents involving cross-border criminals. Both sides agreed to implement increased joint patrols, especially during late-night hours, to reduce incidents of assault against security personnel and civilians. Enhanced public awareness initiatives along the border were also emphasised, aiming to promote a safer environment for communities on both sides.
Additionally, infrastructure and environmental issues were part of the agenda. Bangladesh raised concerns about the ecological impact of wastewater from Agartala, India, and proposed a water treatment plant. Discussions also included cooperation in water resource management and infrastructural development within 150 yards of the border, with mutual agreement on joint management measures.
The postponement of the next edition of the talks comes after the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after a mass uprising in Bangladesh in August this year. However, turmoil continues to plague the country even after an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was installed to take charge of the affairs in the country.
Recently, the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) of Bangladesh has ordered the extradition of Hasina who has taken refuge in India. Some media reports suggest that she has been given shelter at a safe-house of Indian intelligence agencies in a tony neighbourhood in New Delhi.
However, the latest controversy has arisen in Bangladesh itself with some quarters in that country demanding the resignation of President Mohammad Shahabuddin following contradictory remarks he made regarding his acceptance of Hasina's resignation letter before she fled the country on August 5.
It is in the midst of all this that the reports about the postponement of the latest round of border talks between India and Bangladesh have come in sparking speculations about the reasons behind this.
In fact, only earlier this week, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma had said that India would continue to seek a "stable, positive and constructive" relationship with Bangladesh built upon their interdependencies, in which people of both countries remain the main stakeholders.
Verma made the remarks while speaking at the Bangladesh National Defence College in Mirpur on October 22, according to a report by the UNB news agency of Bangladesh.
He spoke about India's foreign policy and development strategy, highlighting India's growing engagement with the world to promote rules-based international order, reforms of global governance and interests of the Global South, as well as to serve India's quest for inclusive, sustainable and rapid national development.
Hence, the questions: What is the reason behind the postponement of the border talks? Is it because of a change in Bangladesh's foreign policy vis-à-vis India? Or is it because of people's sentiments against India given that Hasina was seen as a close friend of India?
According to Bangladeshi academic and political observer Sharin Shajahan Naomi, the last question is not plausible.
"Although there were a lot of anti-India sentiments soon after Hasina's ouster, these have now fortunately reduced," Naomi told ETV Bharat over phone from Dhaka. "The anti-India sentiments were created by some particular groups."
She said that, right now, people in Bangladesh are overwhelmed by the law and order situation in the country. "People are not interested about Hasina's location in India," Naomi said. "They are being more practical."
So, what is the reason behind Bangladesh's decision to postpone the border talks? "I think it may be because of some restructuring going on within the administration," Naomi said. "There has been no major border issue between the two countries in the last two months (after Hasina's ouster)."
In fact, the PTI report cited a senior BSF officer posted along the frontline as saying that, overall, the situation is under control along the India-Bangladesh border.
"There is good connect with our counterparts post the August 5 developments in Bangladesh," the officer was quoted as saying. "However, the field units are on alert mode since that day." Naomi said that it is very important to have the India-Bangladesh border talks at the earliest.
"It is especially important because Bangladesh's border along India's northeastern states is vulnerable to insurgent and terrorist threats," she said.
Stressing on the importance of good bilateral relations between the two South Asian neighbours, she said that Bangladeshi people are very dependent on India, especially cancer patients.
"A lot of Bangladeshi businessmen also have to keep going to India," Naomi said. "Both sides need each other for border security. Bangladesh also needs India’s support at international forums."
As for Hasina's extradition from India, she said that Bangladesh should first ensure full freedom of the judiciary before this happens. However, coming back to the postponement of the border talks, Dhaka-based journalist Saifur Rahman Tapan believes that it might have to do with the tensions between the two countries after the August upheaval in Bangladesh.
"After coming to power on August 8, the government had said that we should talk eye-to-eye with India," Tapan recalled. "The talks postponement might have something to do with this."
However, he expressed optimism that the issue would be resolved soon.
"Blaming India for everything that happens in Bangladesh is not right," he said. "People realise this. The interim government is also now trying to better relations with India."
