Saran calls for avoiding past mistakes

The Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka has said that in Indo-Bangladesh relationship there are “no winners” in the game that aims to “harm” the other side or to exploit other’s weakness.

Pankaj Saran said this on Monday while speaking at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) about bilateral cooperation between the two neighbours.

He said learning from past mistakes the two sides must now focus on “how we can avoid them in future.”

Although he did not elaborate, the envoy touched on areas of future cooperation that he said can bring prosperity to both countries.

Terrorism and alleged harbouring of Indian insurgents on Bangladesh soil were issues of great concern for India, particularly during the tenure of 2001-2006 BNP-led government.

However, the role of the Awami League-led government in arresting a number of separatist leaders in the last few years has also been praised by New Delhi.

“Cooperating on security issues does not imply that we are sacrificing our sovereignty, or reducing our policy options,” he said.

“In fact, cooperation in combating criminal, insurgent, terror, smuggling and trafficking activities is the best way to enhance national strength,” he said.

“Our security is mutual".

The envoy said the two countries were united by geography, history and culture. “We have to survive and prosper together”.

“This relationship is far too important for both countries. We have made mistakes in the past; the question is how we can avoid them in the future,” he said.

Saran said a “strong, stable and prosperous” Bangladesh was “not only in the interest of Bangladesh but also in the interest of India, the region and beyond”.

He said a policy which is aimed to harm the other side or to exploit the other’s weakness is “a sub-optimal one”.

“History has shown that there are no winners in this game,” he said, “All sides stand to lose”.

“We should not allow a few to hold our nations hostage to instability”.

He said India and Bangladesh are “natural partners” and that “we have to solve our problems ourselves”.

He, however, said this does not exclude, for example, joint agreement to accept international arbitration under UNCLOS to delimit maritime boundary or agreeing to invite Nepal and Bhutan for discussions on power, water and connectivity.

“The more we cooperate and connect, the better we both do,” he said.

The envoy also stressed on more people-to-people exchanges and better connectivity between the two countries “beyond the government and politics.”