Bangladesh-India ties must ensure dignity, shared benefits: Outgoing envoy

Bangladesh is ready to deepen engagement with India, but bilateral ties must be built on dignity, mutual trust, respect and shared benefits, outgoing Bangladesh High Commissioner to India M Riaz Hamidullah has said, stressing that cooperation must also address the aspirations of ordinary people.

"We are ready to engage with India on an even keel, but everything better passes through the intersection of dignity, trust, respect and shared benefits," he said in an interview with The Indian Express, published today (12 October).

Riaz said the relationship should not be viewed solely through state-to-state interactions, arguing that major projects and diplomatic engagements must deliver tangible benefits for people on both sides.

Referring to the approach of the government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, he pointed to the prime minister's letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 26 February, within nine days of taking office, as a sign of openness towards New Delhi and recognition of people's expectations and aspirations.

He also cited the resumption of security cooperation, saying the two countries' security establishments began interacting seamlessly within a month of the new government taking office in Dhaka. Such engagement, he said, had assured India that there was a different Bangladesh.

Unresolved concerns

Riaz said any assessment of bilateral relations must consider Bangladesh's concerns alongside those of India.

He cautioned against comparing the current government's relationship with India with the trust established during former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's tenure without accounting for the circumstances of each period.

Referring to the 2024 uprising, he described the period as one of "brutalisation" and the decimation of institutions and the economy.

He also criticised the closure of cross-border mobility and what he described as the arbitrary pushing of people across the border, disregarding established norms and procedures.

On concerns over irregular migration from Bangladesh, Riaz said Dhaka had proposed reviewing individual cases with India rather than treating them as a single issue.

He argued that authorities should also target the networks that exploit people seeking to cross borders.

He acknowledged that people in Bangladesh continued to feel hurt over the violence during the 2024 uprising, including deaths, injuries and disappearances, saying there had been little admission or regard for what Bangladeshis experienced.

Scope for cooperation

Despite the tensions, Riaz highlighted signs of renewed engagement. He cited the Bangladesh foreign minister's visit to Delhi within two months of the new government taking office, including a meeting with Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval that lasted more than three and a half hours, followed by talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

He said Dhaka had also been willing to arrange a visit by Tarique Rahman to India, but such high-level engagements required the right conditions, including dignity, respect, mutuality and interdependence.

Riaz also called for cooperation beyond security concerns, pointing to shared interests in water management and power.

"Bangladesh is buying 2,500 megawatts of electricity from India, including 1,500MW from Adani Power and another 1,000MW from other sources," he said.

On the Ganga Water Treaty, due for renewal in December, he argued that water sharing should be approached through a combination of technical and political considerations, taking into account mutual interests, culture and ecology.

Ultimately, he said, both countries must guard their relationship against domestic political considerations and recognise the aspirations of their people. Neither country, he added, could afford disharmony given their shared geography.

Broader cooperation beyond security concerns

Riaz called for visa arrangements to be viewed as an opportunity rather than solely through a security lens, citing the potential for greater economic and people-to-people exchanges.

He estimated Bangladesh-India economic interaction at $28-30 billion, more than double their formal bilateral trade of $13 billion, including remittances, medical tourism, tourism and services.

He also said Bangladesh and India should protect their relationship from domestic political considerations, warning that failure to recognise the values connecting the two countries could put bilateral ties at risk.

He described the relationship as organic, citing their shared history and cultural links, including what a Guwahati University vice-chancellor called the "Brahmaputra civilisation".

On defence ties, Hamidullah said both countries' security establishments continued to engage smoothly, while each side retained the right to make sovereign decisions on defence planning and procurement.