Dhaka-Delhi relations since 1971 have seen an unrelenting denudation of Bangladesh鈥檚 sovereignty, writes Mumtaz Iqbal
HISTORIANS acknowledge that history doesn鈥檛 quite repeat itself. But it has, in Bangladesh!
The repetition lies in the wholesale expropriation, and subsequent misappropriation, of the fruits of the 1947 independence by the Muslim League and of the 1971 liberation by the Awami League.
The Muslim League鈥檚 rapaciousness is brilliantly catalogued by the legendary journalist-politician Abul Mansur Ahmed in his majestic Aamar Dekha Rajnitir Panchash Bachar (Fifty Years of Politics As I Saw It). With a masterly lack of foresight and promiscuously mixing religion with politics, the leadership of the Muslim League, wilfully ignoring its changed status after partition, equated opposition to the Muslim League as anti-Pakistani and anti-Islam. The result was 1971.
The post-1971 Awami League flattered the Muslim League by emulating it. Ignoring facts and common sense, the Awami League arrogantly claimed to be the sole standard bearer of liberation. It deliberately fostered an unbridgeable chasm between a coterie of some genuine but mainly manufactured 鈥榝reedom fighters鈥� (uspar) and 鈥榗ollaborators鈥� (espar).
The former were mainly veterans but also carpetbagger Awami Leaguers and benefited immensely from state patronage. The latter were hounded relentlessly over the years under the catch-all slogan of 鈥榬azakars鈥� (Enayetullah Khan, Sixty Million Collaborators, The Weekly Holiday, February 6, 1972). Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his daughter Sheikh Hasina avidly pursued this vengeful strategy. They and the country have paid heavily.
The repetition of history continues with a twist. After March 25, 1971, many Awami Leaguers fled to India to save their lives and formed part of the resistance against Islamabad. From July 2024, many Awami Leaguers and their hangers-on have fled, not to India but for Singapore, Malaysia and other lucrative places. These discredited refugees can鈥檛 mount any worthwhile resistance and should consider themselves lucky to live comfortably on their illegally repatriated capital.
Some Awami Leaguers have sought shelter in India. Chief amongst them are Hasina and Rehana. As of now, the UK has refused them asylum. Indians will find their continued stay, unlike in 1975, as embarrassing and controversial. You reap what you sow.
This brings us to Indo-Bangladesh relations. In 1971, Delhi helped us for mutual benefit to defeat the Pakistanis. This gave Delhi bragging rights but not rights of proprietorship. Dhaka-Delhi relations since 1971 have seen an unrelenting denudation of Bangladesh鈥檚 sovereignty, to the point that Dhaka is perceived as Delhi鈥檚 suzerain. This is demonstrated in Hasina鈥檚 unduly deferential collaboration with Delhi lasting many years.
Since 1947, Dhaka has been the victim of two colonial regimes. From 1947鈥�1971, Islamabad ruled through the ISI. From 1971鈥�2024, Delhi ruled through RAW. The difference is that Delhi is 600 kilometres closer than Islamabad! The ISI and RAW bribed and threatened willing and unwilling Bangladeshis to suborn, subdue and subvert Bengali aspirations. They succeeded, up to a point. The point being that quislings don鈥檛 last forever.
After 1971, numerous books extolled Bangladesh鈥檚 emergence as RAW鈥檚 finest hour (Raman, The Kaoboys of RAW, 2019). Hasina鈥檚 flight to India arguably is a black eye for RAW. The ISI was clueless about Bengali public opinion. RAW seems to suffer from the same malady. These two intelligence agencies share a degree of ineptness when it comes to managing Dhaka through collaborators.
Hopefully, the above demeaning Dhaka-Delhi relationship will undergo a material reset, epitomised by a less grovelling leadership in Dhaka and a more chastened one in Delhi. It鈥檚 astonishing that India has antagonised all her neighbours, especially Bangladesh, successfully and consecutively for so long. South Block鈥檚 subcontinental diplomacy fascinates for its inaptness and misplaced stamina.
听
Mumtaz Iqbal is a retired freelancer.
