“Important neighbour, dependent on India in many ways”: Bangladesh’s Army Chief hails ties with India

Calling India an “important neighbour”, Bangladesh’s Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman said that Dhaka is dependent on New Delhi in many ways. He said that many people from Bangladesh visit India for treatment and lot of goods are imported from India, Prothom Alo reported.

In an interview with Prothom Alo, General Waker-Uz-Zaman said that India and Bangladesh have a “give and take relationship” and added that the relations must be based on fairness. He stated that Bangladesh has to maintain good ties based on equality.

On being asked about talks being held between India and Bangladesh on some unresolved issues, General Waker-Uz-Zaman said, “India is an important neighbour. We are dependent on India in many ways. And India is getting facilities from us too. A large number of their people are working in Bangladesh, formally and informally. Many people go for medical treatment to India from here. We buy a lot of goods from them. So India has a lot of interests in Bangladesh’s stability. This is a give-and-take relationship.”

“This must be based on fairness. Any country will want to get benefits from the other. There is nothing wrong in that. If we want extract our benefits, then we are to blame too. We must look into these matters. We have to maintain good relations based on equality. The people in no way should feel India is dominating over us, which goes against our interests. People should not feel this in any way,” he added.

In an interview with Prothom Alo, General Zaman said that Bangladesh will not do anything that goes against the strategic interests of India and vice versa. He said that both India and Bangladesh will look after their interests with equal importance.

When asked about India seeking Bangladesh’s cooperation in ensuring security in their northeast region, he responded, “See, the thing is that we will not do anything with our neighbour that goes against their strategic interests. At the same time, we will expect that our neighbour does nothing that is contrary to our interests. When we look after their interests, they will look after our interests with equal importance.”

“Unrest will not be created in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The stability along the Myanmar border will not be disrupted either. They will not kill our people along the borders. We will get our fair share of water. There is no problem with this. Let the relations be on equal footing,” he added.

Earlier in December, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Bangladesh. This was the first high-level visit from India to Bangladesh since Sheikh Hasina was deposed as Prime Minister in August this year and since the interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, assumed office.

During his visit to Dhaka, Misri said India is keen to work closely with the authorities of the Interim Government of Bangladesh under the Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and addressing concerns related to the safety and welfare of minorities, including Hindus, in Bangladesh.

While addressing a press conference after his meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain in Dhaka, Misri referred to recent incidents involving attacks on cultural, religious, and diplomatic properties and called for a constructive approach by the Bangladesh authorities to address these issues and ensure the safety and security of all communities.

“I have underlined today India’s desire to work closely with the Interim Government of Bangladesh authorities. At the same time, we also had the opportunity to discuss certain recent developments and issues, and I conveyed our concerns, including those related to the safety and welfare of minorities. We also discussed some regrettable incidents of attacks on cultural, religious, and diplomatic properties,” he said.

The Foreign Secretary noted that India and Bangladesh have long shared a people-centred relationship, driven by collaboration in areas such as trade, commerce, connectivity, power, water, and energy, and mentioned the wide-ranging areas of engagement between the two countries, including development cooperation, consular services, and cultural exchanges.