Engaging with Dhaka: Foreign secretary Vikram Misri's visit suggests a thaw

India’s first engagement with the establishment in Bangladesh following Sheikh Hasina’s ouster as Prime Minister and a dramatic flight to India on August 5 marks an important step towards re-engagement with a new political regime that is notably less pro-Indian than its predecessor. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s visit on Monday may not mark a turning point in relations. Nevertheless, India has sent an important signal of its willingness to engage despite the abrupt transition of relations from comfortable ally to uneasy neighbour. Mr Misri met the chief advisor to the interim government of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, and the foreign affairs advisor, Md Touhid Hossain. He also held consultations with his Bangladesh counterpart, Jashim Uddin. The Ministry of External Affairs’ readout of the meetings suggests a cautious cordiality that could offer grounds for a degree of stability in relations if not the easy bonhomie that India enjoyed during Ms Hasina’s long stint in power.

 

Mr Misri, who arrived in Dhaka by an Air Force aircraft, spoke of a “frank, candid and constructive exchange of views” with all his interlocutors and underlined India’s support for a restoration of democratic forces in Bangladesh. He revealed that discussions included India’s concern over the treatment of minorities in Bangladesh and attacks on Hindu temples, especially after the arrest of Iskcon member Chinmoy Krishna Das, who led the protests against attacks on minorities. Mr Das was arrested on November 25 on charges of sedition. The transit of goods through the border at Petrapole, West Bengal, India’s largest land customs border, would have figured in discussion following fears that India would seal the border following Mr Das’ arrest. Petrapole is a major gateway, accounting for 30 per cent of land-based trade between the two countries. Some 2.3 million people cross the border annually, many of them visiting India for basic medical treatment. It is unclear if the renegotiation of the Adani Power deal, in which Dhaka is keen to lower prices, was discussed. The project, which went on stream last year, accounts for about a tenth of Bangladesh’s power consumption.

 

This week’s meeting may stabilise the temperature on frosty exchanges between New Delhi and Dhaka in the immediate post-Hasina phase. Mr Misri’s visit may also reflect the recognition of a symbiotic partnership between the two nations. India is an important trade partner for Bangladesh, providing essentials such as petroleum, food, and fertiliser. Several large Indian textile manufacturers have operations in Bangladesh. Overall, India-Bangladesh two-way trade in goods has grown faster than that of India’s merchandise trade with the rest of the world. Bangladesh had also played a role in enabling India to gain easy access to the Northeast and, under Ms Hasina, had offered considerable security from growing Islamic terrorism. This latter may be a point of concern. The current regime is known to be close to the Jamaat-i-Islami, although there have been reports of some distancing in recent weeks. Also of concern is the Muhammad Yunus-led government’s growing proximity to Pakistan. Visa waivers for nationals of both countries, defence deals, and the docking of a Pakistani freighter from Karachi at Chittagong signal the restoration of direct maritime links between them after 47 years. All this suggests maintaining relations with Bangladesh will be tricky. It will require political realism to secure India’s national interests.