Marking the 50th anniversary of the 1971 India-Pakistan war and celebrating the liberation of Bangladesh, a 122-member contingent of the Bangladesh Armed Forces recently participated in India’s 72nd Republic Day parade. This year also marks 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties between India and Bangladesh.
International Military Participation in Republic Day Parades
This is the third instance of foreign military participation in India’s Republic Day parade. Prior to this, French troops marched in 2016 and UAE troops participated in 2017.
The Bangladesh War of Independence and Vijay Diwas
Vijay Diwas is commemorated on December 16th each year, marking India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war. Deciding to support Bengali Muslims and Hindus, the Indian government declared war on Pakistan on December 3rd, 1971. The result of the 13-day war was the surrender of the Pakistani forces (comprising 93,000 soldiers) in Dhaka to the allied forces of the Indian Army and Mukti Bahini—a guerrilla resistance movement that fought against the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War. It was on December 16th, 1971, that Bangladesh was born, which is now celebrated as their independence day (Bijoy Dibos).
Defense Cooperation
India was amongst the first countries to recognize newly independent Bangladesh and establish diplomatic relations immediately after its birth. Defense cooperation between the two countries includes joint exercises of their armies (Exercise Sampriti) and navy (Exercise Milan).
Border Management
India and Bangladesh share the longest land boundary amongst India’s neighbors at 4096.7 km. The India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement was ratified and came into effect in June 2015.
Cooperation over Rivers
Sharing 54 common rivers, India and Bangladesh have set up a bilateral Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) since June 1972 to maximize benefits from these river systems.
Economic Relations and Trade
Bangladesh remains India’s largest trade partner in South Asia with exports from India standing at US 9.21 billion USD and imports from Bangladesh at US 1.22 Billion USD in the financial year 2018-19.
Connectivity Cooperation
The two countries jointly inaugurated the restored railway link between Haldibari in India and Chilahati in Bangladesh and are working towards early operationalization of the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) initiative Motor Vehicles Agreement.
Power Sector Cooperation and Partnerships on Multilateral Forums
One of the hallmarks of India-Bangladesh relations is their cooperation in the power sector, with Bangladesh currently importing 1160 MW of power from India. The countries have agreed to work together to achieve early reforms of the UN Security Council and combat climate change.
Recent Developments and Future Cooperation
Recently, seven agreements were signed and three projects inaugurated as part of deepening the partnership between India and Bangladesh. Issues needing attention include investments, security connectivity development, cross border energy cooperation, managing media, plus environment and disaster management.
COVID-19 Cooperation
Reiterating its highest priority to Bangladesh under India’s Neighbourhood First policy, India has assured that COVID-19 vaccines would be made available to Bangladesh as and when produced in India.
Emerging Disputes
Efforts are required to resolve pending issues like sharing waters, resolving continental shelf issues in the Bay of Bengal, and managing the media. Bangladesh has expressed concerns over the rollout of the National Register of Citizens in Assam, an exercise intended to identify genuine Indian citizens living in Assam and remove illegal Bangladeshis.