Visit of the Indian Foreign Minister

The day-long trip of Mr. Pranab Mukherjee on February 9^th was highlighted as a major visit by the Bangladesh media. It ended more as a goodwill visit as it was intended, without any major thrust in relations. Two agreements were signed with focus on trade and investment. The Agreement on Protection and Promotion of Investment is a standard one that Bangladesh has signed with many other countries. The Trade Agreement is not a new agreement but the renewal of the one that was signed during the first Awami League Government and renewed in 1980.
 

Mr. Mukherjee skirted the proposal of the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina that she made soon after assuming office in early January. The Indian Foreign Minister felt that a regional forum for tackling terrorism already existed within the framework of SAARC and added that sincerity and commitment were more important than creating a new mechanism or task force.

 
In bilateral talks with the Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni, all major issues were touched but no serious discussions were held on these. The two Foreign Ministers held a joint press conference but they did not reveal anything of substance which could move the bilateral relations forward that are presently bogged down on a number of issues. In response to an Indian journalist’s question whether Bangladesh was being used as a buffer by Pakistan for launching terrorist attacks on India, Dr. Dipu Moni had no answer and this raised a few eyebrows among the Bangladeshi journalists. It was a question that the Foreign Ministry should have anticipated and points for an adequate answer should have been provided to the Minister in advance. A smart act of professionalism on the part of the Foreign Office mandarins would have spared the Foreign Minister of the embarrassment of a faux pas.

 
The Indian Foreign Minister called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence. After the talks, her Press Secretary told the media that the Indian FM had agreed with her proposal for a South Asian Joint Task Force to Combat Terrorism, a disclosure that stood in contradiction with what Mr. Mukherjee had earlier told the media at the joint press conference with his Bangladesh countrepart. Mr. Mukharji also met the Minister for Home Affairs and the Minister for Commerce. According to inside information, the Commerce Minister gave the Indian Foreign Minister a list of seven issues where India needed to act first before she could hope for the land transit. A source revealed that Bangladesh would not agree to the transit even in 50 years unless India moved positively on this list.

 
Mr. Mukherjee’s day-long hectic schedule also included a visit to the  Dhaka University in connection with the construction of a floor with Indian grant to house the Department of Drama. He did not, however, find time to meet the leader of the opposition Begum Khaleda Zia. In a significant departure from protocol, Mr. Mukharji who arrived in a special plane was received and seen off at the VVIP terminal of Dhaka Airport, an honour given only to visiting Head of State/Government.

 
Mr. Pranab Mukherjee has gone back with the distinct feeling that on the issue of land transit, Bangladesh is in no mood to relent and that the Indians must first solve the issues Bangladesh has outstanding with them such as water sharing , demarcation of land and sea boundary, reducing the trade gap, etc. While the visit brought to focus, at least in the media,  the Indian interests vis-à-vis Bangladesh, the Bangladesh side missed out on making her case on water sharing. The visit took place as it did during the lean season and Bangladesh is not getting her adequate share of water of the  Ganges from India as she should under the 1996 Treaty. In addition, the Indians are building a barrage at Tippaihmukh that will have a severe adverse effect on the northeast Bangladesh. The visit was an opportunity for Bangladesh to raise her genuine concerns on this but there was nothing in the media reports or in the remarks of Dr.Dipu Moni or other senior Bangladesh officials to suggest that Dhaka took advantage of the opportunity.

CFAS Editorial Board

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