Bangladeshi Army Chief’s belated reminder to Yunus may bring thaw in Delhi-Dhaka ties

On February 25, Bangladesh Army Chief Gen Waqar uz Zaman fired his second salvo of anguish against the political leadership for the deteriorating law and order situation, for undermining the law enforcement agencies, and ended up saying, “I have had enough.” He was speaking at the commemoration of the Army personnel killed during the mutiny by Bangladesh Border Guards in 2009. He first raised his voice on February 5 following the mayhem and violence against Awami League supporters and symbols of Mujib Rahman’s legacy after former PM Sheikh Hasina’s virtual address.

The construction in Chittagong of a memorial to honour India’s 3,843 martyrs in Bangladesh’s liberation was stopped after Hasina’s inglorious ouster. Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Hasina were to jointly inaugurate the memorial sometime in February 2025. Bangladesh would have been the second country in the region to sanctify the contribution of India’s military in shaping its destiny. It is necessary to recall that after the 5 August 2024 revolution in Bangladesh, all symbols of Mujib’s legacy are being removed (for a second time), including the 1971 Liberation War, which created a new nation and let geography take revenge over history.

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On December 16, 2024, on the 54th Bijoy Dibos (Vijay Diwas), no victory parade was held in Dhaka; only the Last Post was sounded. Eight Indian veterans were invited by the Bangladesh Army to Dhaka. Similarly, eight Bangladesh Army officers led by Brig Jahangir Kabir came to Kolkata invited by Eastern Command to commemorate the Liberation War.

While in Dhaka, commemoration ceremonies were low-key; in India, the military triumph was celebrated with the usual solemnity at the National War Memorial by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accompanied by CDS and the three service chiefs. In a tweet, PM Modi noted, “The historic victory in 1971 commemorating the valour and courage of Indian soldiers…”

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There was no mention of Bangladesh or Mukti Bahini. In Dhaka too, interim leader Muhammad Yunus made no mention of India or Mujib. His law advisor, Arif Nazrul, noted, “India was an ally in the 1971 war victory. Nothing more”, a sentiment endorsed by the interim leader’s office.

Bangladesh occupies a geostrategic location along India’s frontiers, surrounded by five Indian states and bordering Myanmar, contiguous with the Chicken’s Neck in the Siliguri Corridor, which is within artillery range of Doklam and Chumbi valley. A Chinese construction company is in the process of taking charge of the management of the Teesta River project nearby in Bangladesh.

Also, proximity to troubled Manipur makes the above configuration replete with potential for repetition of activities inimical to India’s interests that were witnessed between 2001 and 2006 during the BNP regime of Begum Khaleda Zia. With relations mending between Pakistan and Bangladesh, India could soon be faced with a three-front situation.

In Dhaka, the Liberation War celebrations picked up only when Hasina returned to power in her third spell and ruled continuously for 15 years. I recall being invited as a Mukti Jodha two decades ago when much was made of us Indians with respect and five-star treatment and a farewell containing affection and gifts. Gratitude for India’s help in the liberation was visible then. However, Bangladeshis always wanted that their role, particularly the role of Mukti Bahini, in the Liberation War should have been better appreciated.

Soon after Hasina’s first term (1996 to 2001), the distancing between India and Bangladesh had started with the return of rival Begum Zia to power. She represented the total opposite of Hasina—lack of indebtedness for the Liberation War, sidestepping the Mujib legacy, and nurturing of anti-India sentiment. Bangladesh’s military’s tilt towards China and portrayal of India as an enemy during its war games had begun. This unfriendly trend was arrested for some time but only momentarily.

Gradually Bangladesh began depicting the victory in the Liberation War as its own effort with military support from India, not the other way round. In 2023, the Liberation War Museum in Dhaka, where I was invited, showed precisely this. The Story of Liberation Under a Genocide put the spotlight on Mukti Bahini and Bengali military units, with India’s contribution restricted to training Mukti Bahini. India had failed to see the writing on the wall.

More than two decades have passed since the 1971 vintage soldier became a veteran. Clearly the nostalgia and spirit of that era have also evaporated despite a friendly regime in power in Dhaka for 15 years. The goodwill dividend has disappeared with the Bangladesh military buying high-end military equipment only from China despite a line of credit for $20 million from India. Anti-India sentiment is no longer dormant. Indian generosity and assistance are all but forgotten. Instead, people remember the high-handedness of BSF along the border. They say: “We allowed deployment of Indian coastal radars, priority use of our sea ports at Mangla and Chittagong, and transit access to the northeast… and much, much more.”

Following his strategic silence since the historic events of August 5, Gen Zaman condemned the violence on February 5, after Hasina’s virtual address, emphasising that “India is an important neighbour; we depend on it for many matters; India avails facilities from us. It is important we take no step that is inimical to the strategic interests of both countries and must respect each other’s strategic and economic interests”. This was a belated reminder of Bangladesh’s strategic geography.

Even so, India-Bangladesh relations will get a lot worse before getting any better. A meeting between Modi and Yunus is likely at the BIMSTEC summit at Bangkok in April. It is time for the militaries in both countries to take stock of their under-achievements, especially the jointly fought Liberation War. Gen Zaman could help in reviving construction of the Chittagong memorial honouring fallen Indian soldiers.

The author is former GOC IPKF South Sri Lanka and founder member Defence Planning Staff, now Integrated Defence Staff, Ministry of Defence. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.