INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIP
1. INDIA AND ITS Neighbour
NRC would jeopardise India’s relations with her neighbours?
NO-
NRC exercise would be completely an internal matter of India and as a sovereign nation which
respects others sovereignty, India has every right to carry out actions internally, which it deems
fit.
Illegal immigration from Bangladesh, comprising both Hindus and Muslims, is an important
issue from the national security perspective of India. A large number of Bangladeshi immigrants
are illegally living in India. Bilateral dealings of such an important issue thus becomes
important.
The issue is further complicated as sometime back, the Rohingya refugees originally from
Myanmar started infiltrating into India through Bangladesh. Association of some rohingyas
with terrorist organisations makes it an internal security for India and needs to be dealt with
concerned parties where relations will stabilise with resolution of the problem.
Bangladesh has already documented its citizens and maintains a biometric record of them. The
National Identity Registration Wing (NIDW) was created within the Bangladesh Election
Commission for that purpose. India too is justified in undertaking a similar exercise. This will
help India get a grip on the problem.
Once the documentation of citizens is done in India, both sides can share their database. This
will help manage the problem in a much more amicable manner. As the India-Bangladesh
relationship is currently strong and trust levels on both sides are high, this is the right time to
deal with the issue of illegal migration.
As the NRC exercise would help in establishing a detailed database of citizens for India, it
would help in dealing with illegal immigration and as the issue of illegal immigration is
concerning majorly only with India-Bangladesh relations, India’s relations with its other
neigbhbours would largely be unaffected.
YESS
The partition of India along religious lines had left India with extraordinary challenges about
sustaining religious harmony at home and maintaining reasonable relations with Pakistan and
Bangladesh. This Pandora’s box would open again affecting relations, especially with
Bangladesh.
India’s Neighbourhood first and Act East policy could be affected as a result of the NRC
exercise and its outcomes where Bangladesh and Myanmar might face the inflow of
, disenfranchised people from India.
Regional destabilization could create serious ramifications not just for South Asia, but the wider
Indo-Pacific as well. Bangladesh is already struggling under the weight of the refugee crisis of
the Rohingya fleeing violence in Myanmar — any added people movement would be beyond its
capacity to facilitate and require a significant international response.
The rhetoric of minority persecution in neighbouring countries embedded in CAA-NRC
exercise would certainly affect India’s image and relations with concerned neighbours.
This phenomenon is in line with the growing global trend where internal matters are affecting
countries relations with others and in case of India, Bangladesh is clearly affected as India
would handover illegal immigrants to it after the NRC exercise.
China would certainly try to exploit the faultlines between India and its neighbours emerging
out of the NRC exercise. This would help it in its string of pearls strategy against India in
India’s neighbourhood.
INDO - BANGLADESH
Significance of India Bangladesh relations
Geopolitical significance
Security of North East: A friendly Bangladesh can ensure that its soil is not used for anti-India activities.
Bangladesh’s action resulted in the arrest of many top leaders of the NE insurgent groups like United
Liberation Front of Assam & National Democratic Front of Bodoland.
Connectivity of North East: The north eastern states are land-locked & shorter route to sea through
Bangladesh mil skta h. Transit agreement with Bangladesh will help in socio-economic development and
integration of North-East India.
Bridge to Southeast Asia: Bangladesh is a natural pillar of Act East policy. It can act as a ‘bridge’ to
economic and political linkages with South East Asia and beyond. Bangladesh is important component of
BIMSTEC and BBIN initiatives.
Strengthening South Asia as a regional power: Bangladesh is imp. for strengthening of SAARC, for
promoting cooperation among its member nations , economic growth and securing strategic interests.
Securing sea lines of communication: Bangladesh is strategically placed nearby important sea lanes. piracy
ko Indian Ocean me control krne m help kr skta h.
Fighting terrorism and deradicalization: Stable, open and tolerant Bangladesh helps India in stopping
extremists from flourishing there and also in cooperation in deradicalization efforts, sharing intelligence, and
, other counter-terrorism efforts.
Balancing China: A neutral Bangladesh would ensure containment of an assertive China in this region, and
help in countering it's string of pearls policy.
Economic significance
Trade relations: Bangladesh is India’s biggest trade partner in South Asia.
India and Bangladesh have facilitative trade agreement. Both are members of the Asia Pacific
Trade Agreement (APTA), SAARC Preferential Trade Agreement (SAPTA) and the Agreement on
South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) which govern the tariff regimes for trade.
Four Border Haats, two each in Tripura and Meghalaya, have been established for the benefit
of communities jo border k sath rehti h dono country ke.
Steps have been taken including reduction in customs and immigration documents, establishment of
49 land customs stations, integrated check posts etc.
Investment opportunities:
Cumulative FDI from India to Bangladesh has more than doubled from USD 243.91 million in 2014 to
USD 570.11 million in December 2018.
Indian companies have invested in sectors including telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, FMCG
and automobiles sectors in Bangladesh.
Connectivity: Through Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT), India is assisting
Bangladesh to capture the potential of waterways for both inter and intra border connectivity of Bangladesh.
Energy: Rooppur atomic energy project, is an Indo-Russian project in Bangladesh. Under it, India will
provide personnel training, consultation support and participate in the construction and erection
activity and non- critical materials supply to the site in Bangladesh.India currently exports 660 MW of
electricity, on a daily basis, to Bangladesh.
Defence: Through defence cooperation framework pact, India is providing Military equipment
and technology transfer for enhancing cooperation in the field of strategic and operational studies.
Space and technology: South Asian Satellite (SAARC Satellite) has been launched to boost regional
connectivity in the areas of disaster management, tele-education, tele-medicine inter-government
networks etc.
India has extended National Knowledge Network for digital connectivity of education with Bangladesh
Development Cooperation: India has extended 3 Lines of Credits (LOCs) to Bangladesh in the last 8 years
amounting to USD 8 billion.
Cultural ties
India and Bangladesh have a shared history and common heritage. Greater people to people contact would
help to other areas like economic and trade relations especially near the border areas. It would also help in
curbing hostilities and lack of trust specially Bangladesh being a smaller neighbour.
1. INDIA AND ITS Neighbour
NRC would jeopardise India’s relations with her neighbours?
NO-
NRC exercise would be completely an internal matter of India and as a sovereign nation which
respects others sovereignty, India has every right to carry out actions internally, which it deems
fit.
Illegal immigration from Bangladesh, comprising both Hindus and Muslims, is an important
issue from the national security perspective of India. A large number of Bangladeshi immigrants
are illegally living in India. Bilateral dealings of such an important issue thus becomes
important.
The issue is further complicated as sometime back, the Rohingya refugees originally from
Myanmar started infiltrating into India through Bangladesh. Association of some rohingyas
with terrorist organisations makes it an internal security for India and needs to be dealt with
concerned parties where relations will stabilise with resolution of the problem.
Bangladesh has already documented its citizens and maintains a biometric record of them. The
National Identity Registration Wing (NIDW) was created within the Bangladesh Election
Commission for that purpose. India too is justified in undertaking a similar exercise. This will
help India get a grip on the problem.
Once the documentation of citizens is done in India, both sides can share their database. This
will help manage the problem in a much more amicable manner. As the India-Bangladesh
relationship is currently strong and trust levels on both sides are high, this is the right time to
deal with the issue of illegal migration.
As the NRC exercise would help in establishing a detailed database of citizens for India, it
would help in dealing with illegal immigration and as the issue of illegal immigration is
concerning majorly only with India-Bangladesh relations, India’s relations with its other
neigbhbours would largely be unaffected.
YESS
The partition of India along religious lines had left India with extraordinary challenges about
sustaining religious harmony at home and maintaining reasonable relations with Pakistan and
Bangladesh. This Pandora’s box would open again affecting relations, especially with
Bangladesh.
India’s Neighbourhood first and Act East policy could be affected as a result of the NRC
exercise and its outcomes where Bangladesh and Myanmar might face the inflow of
, disenfranchised people from India.
Regional destabilization could create serious ramifications not just for South Asia, but the wider
Indo-Pacific as well. Bangladesh is already struggling under the weight of the refugee crisis of
the Rohingya fleeing violence in Myanmar — any added people movement would be beyond its
capacity to facilitate and require a significant international response.
The rhetoric of minority persecution in neighbouring countries embedded in CAA-NRC
exercise would certainly affect India’s image and relations with concerned neighbours.
This phenomenon is in line with the growing global trend where internal matters are affecting
countries relations with others and in case of India, Bangladesh is clearly affected as India
would handover illegal immigrants to it after the NRC exercise.
China would certainly try to exploit the faultlines between India and its neighbours emerging
out of the NRC exercise. This would help it in its string of pearls strategy against India in
India’s neighbourhood.
INDO - BANGLADESH
Significance of India Bangladesh relations
Geopolitical significance
Security of North East: A friendly Bangladesh can ensure that its soil is not used for anti-India activities.
Bangladesh’s action resulted in the arrest of many top leaders of the NE insurgent groups like United
Liberation Front of Assam & National Democratic Front of Bodoland.
Connectivity of North East: The north eastern states are land-locked & shorter route to sea through
Bangladesh mil skta h. Transit agreement with Bangladesh will help in socio-economic development and
integration of North-East India.
Bridge to Southeast Asia: Bangladesh is a natural pillar of Act East policy. It can act as a ‘bridge’ to
economic and political linkages with South East Asia and beyond. Bangladesh is important component of
BIMSTEC and BBIN initiatives.
Strengthening South Asia as a regional power: Bangladesh is imp. for strengthening of SAARC, for
promoting cooperation among its member nations , economic growth and securing strategic interests.
Securing sea lines of communication: Bangladesh is strategically placed nearby important sea lanes. piracy
ko Indian Ocean me control krne m help kr skta h.
Fighting terrorism and deradicalization: Stable, open and tolerant Bangladesh helps India in stopping
extremists from flourishing there and also in cooperation in deradicalization efforts, sharing intelligence, and
, other counter-terrorism efforts.
Balancing China: A neutral Bangladesh would ensure containment of an assertive China in this region, and
help in countering it's string of pearls policy.
Economic significance
Trade relations: Bangladesh is India’s biggest trade partner in South Asia.
India and Bangladesh have facilitative trade agreement. Both are members of the Asia Pacific
Trade Agreement (APTA), SAARC Preferential Trade Agreement (SAPTA) and the Agreement on
South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) which govern the tariff regimes for trade.
Four Border Haats, two each in Tripura and Meghalaya, have been established for the benefit
of communities jo border k sath rehti h dono country ke.
Steps have been taken including reduction in customs and immigration documents, establishment of
49 land customs stations, integrated check posts etc.
Investment opportunities:
Cumulative FDI from India to Bangladesh has more than doubled from USD 243.91 million in 2014 to
USD 570.11 million in December 2018.
Indian companies have invested in sectors including telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, FMCG
and automobiles sectors in Bangladesh.
Connectivity: Through Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT), India is assisting
Bangladesh to capture the potential of waterways for both inter and intra border connectivity of Bangladesh.
Energy: Rooppur atomic energy project, is an Indo-Russian project in Bangladesh. Under it, India will
provide personnel training, consultation support and participate in the construction and erection
activity and non- critical materials supply to the site in Bangladesh.India currently exports 660 MW of
electricity, on a daily basis, to Bangladesh.
Defence: Through defence cooperation framework pact, India is providing Military equipment
and technology transfer for enhancing cooperation in the field of strategic and operational studies.
Space and technology: South Asian Satellite (SAARC Satellite) has been launched to boost regional
connectivity in the areas of disaster management, tele-education, tele-medicine inter-government
networks etc.
India has extended National Knowledge Network for digital connectivity of education with Bangladesh
Development Cooperation: India has extended 3 Lines of Credits (LOCs) to Bangladesh in the last 8 years
amounting to USD 8 billion.
Cultural ties
India and Bangladesh have a shared history and common heritage. Greater people to people contact would
help to other areas like economic and trade relations especially near the border areas. It would also help in
curbing hostilities and lack of trust specially Bangladesh being a smaller neighbour.
