People still cant let go of the whole SAARC and south asian union dreams. Half the countries are economically neutered and volatile and having trade with them is gonna help indians lol.India, Nepal and Bhutan have open border policy and free trade between them.Expecting open borders between India and pakistan is lunacy.A little over six weeks after the fall of Sheikh Hasina's autocratic regime on August 5, the top Indian diplomat in Dhaka, Pranay Verma, met BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on September 22 at the party’s Gulshan office, signaling a shift in policy, as Delhi had been widely criticized for "putting all its eggs in one basket."
Following the change in Bangladesh's political landscape, top envoys from countries and regional organizations such as the UK, EU, Australia, China, Pakistan, and Russia had already exchanged greetings before the Indian High Commissioner engaged with BNP leadership.
India, considered an all-weather friend of the Awami League, the immediate past ruling party, understandably took time to make fresh moves. After Sheikh Hasina fled the country and took refuge in India, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar stated that his government wanted to engage with the “government of the day” in Bangladesh.
However, India’s recent outreach to parties beyond AL signals a shift in approach. Many suggest that New Delhi should have earlier prioritized broader, people-to-people diplomacy, building ties across the political spectrum rather than relying solely on its close relationship with AL.
After the meeting, local media quoted BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, as saying "discussions were held on how to deepen and strengthen the relationship between Bangladesh and India. We raised the issues Bangladesh is facing with India."
The BNP Secretary General further said, "their (Indian High Commission’s) main message is that they want to strengthen their relationship with Bangladesh. Especially after this change, they have already reached out and communicated with the new interim government. As a political party, BNP … they also want to strengthen their ties with us."
Meanwhile, in an interview with Indian newspaper The Hindu on September 26, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fkhrul Islam Alamgir “expressed optimism for engaging with India,” saying BNP had reached out to India on multiple occasions in the past, including ahead of the January 2024 election, but those initiatives did not work out. “India had kept all its fruits in a single basket and that is why our initiatives did not work out then. Now we need to restart relation with India at a fast pace. We always wanted a functional relationship with India,” The Hindu quoted him as saying.
However, apart from raising concerns about the “uneven nature” of the “electricity trade deal with Adani” and the Modi-Hasina initiative to connect the “Gede crossing in West Bengal to Hasimara-Dalgaon near the Indo-Bhutan border through Chilahati-Haldibari,” the BNP leader told The Hindu that “issues like border killings and water sharing can be effectively addressed if the relationship stays on track.”
For more than 15 years, the Indian establishment had consistently stood by Sheikh Hasina, even as her support among the public and voters gradually and surely eroded following the deeply flawed general elections of 2014, 2018, and 2024. Despite this growing discontent, India continued to engage with Hasina or her party only over other political parties.
Beyond the rigged national and local elections which once fueled corruption, Bangladesh had grappled with rampant money laundering and a grave human rights situation, including extrajudicial killings. Enforced disappearances by government security forces, a practice introduced by the Hasina regime, had led to many being held in secret prisons for years, a shocking revelation for the nation.
Among the many victims, a former Brigadier General, Abdullahil Aman Azmi, and a barrister, Ahmad Bin Quasem Arman, were released from the notorious secret detention facilities, commonly known as "Aynaghar," after eight long years, leaving their families -- who had no idea whether they were alive or dead -- in disbelief.
These issues were central to the erosion of support for the ruling party and its leader, Sheikh Hasina, in Bangladesh. Once unchallenged, they became targets of growing public resentment as frustration over authoritarian rule and malpractices intensified, leading to the downfall of Hasina's regime through the popular uprising.
Sheikh Hasina and the AL’s close ties with the Indian establishment were not well-received by most Bangladeshis, as her seemingly passive diplomacy failed to effectively address issues such as non-tariff barriers, unresolved river water disputes, and ongoing border killings. Nevertheless, Hasina often highlighted her government's contributions to India, once stating that India should “forever remember” what her administration had done for the neighboring country, while emphasizing that she sought nothing in return.
For a broader perspective, New Delhi should also engage other parties in Bangladesh, as well as the governments and political entities of neighbouring countries. Many of these countries, such as Nepal and the Maldives, have experienced hiccups in their relations with India following their recent government changes, not to mention its historically strained ties with Pakistan and China.
In the natural political ecosystem, all nations are interdependent in areas such as the economy, security, and water resources. Moving forward without cooperation is challenging for any country. The revival of Saarc, which has been considered dysfunctional since the cancellation of the 2016 summit in Islamabad, could play a crucial role in improving regional ties and addressing current challenges.
The 2016 Saarc summit was called off after the Uri terrorist attack in India, which escalated diplomatic tensions in the region. Following India’s withdrawal, several countries, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Afghanistan, also declined to participate. The last Saarc summit was held in Kathmandu in 2014, and none has been convened since then.
The persistent hostility between India and Pakistan and the divisive politics practiced by many political parties in South Asia seeking to mobilize polarize voters in their respective countries, remain major impediments to Saarc’s progress. Under the circumstances, functional relations among political parties in the region could contribute to the ultimate goal of “people to people” ties in South Asia.
If Europe can leave behind centuries of military conflicts and societal divisions to come together and operate closely, why can't South Asia, which has not experienced similar prolonged conflicts, reconcile and move forward for mutual opportunities and benefits in areas like the economy, society, and security?
Could the European Union -- a bloc of 27 countries that has achieved “political and economic integration through a single currency, a unified foreign and security policy, and common citizenship rights, while advancing cooperation in immigration, asylum, and judicial affairs” -- serve as a role model for South Asia in promoting peace and democracy, to this end?
https://www.dhakatribune.com/opinion/op-ed/362054/india-reaching-out-to-bnp-in-bangladesh’s-changed
India reaches out to Bangladesh opposition BNP, envoy meets party leader
Indicating broader political outreach in Bangladesh, High Commissioner of India Pranay Verma and other Indian officials met General Secretary of chief opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).www.thehindu.com
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