Reaching out to Dhaka

INDIA is steadily coming to terms with the ground reality in Bangladesh after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar discussed bilateral ties with the neighbouring country’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Mohd Touhid Hossain on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York on Monday. This meeting made it obvious that Delhi is keen to engage with Dhaka despite the complications triggered by deposed PM Hasina's continued presence in India. No less significant was Sunday’s meeting in Dhaka between India's High Commissioner Pranay Verma and Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, secretary general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

The BNP, the principal Opposition party in that country, has had an uneasy relationship with India. Delhi was in the comfort zone over the past 15 years due to its good ties with Hasina, whose Awami League was in power for three terms in a row and also won the BNP-boycotted elections in January this year. The upheaval witnessed on August 5, 2024, and the subsequent formation of an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus changed the bilateral dynamics. Though the BNP is not part of the interim set-up, it is expected to be a leading contender once the elections are announced — and that explains India's interest in this party.

Alamgir has rightly observed that the 'ice has started melting'. India erred in its Dhaka strategy by putting all its eggs in the Hasina basket but is now striving to make amends. This pragmatic approach is reflected in Jaishankar's assertion that India's relationship with Bangladesh would continue to be positive and constructive. Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said that friends can be changed, but not neighbours. This truism continues to be relevant for Delhi in the neighbourhood.