'On a scale of 1-10, Dhaka-Delhi ties at 8'

When army-to-army ties are good, then diplomats have one less thorn to pluck out, says a former Indian army chief.

General Shankar Roychowdhury is India's former Chief of Army Staff (COAS). After retiring in 1997, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha, or Upper House of Parliament, as a consensus candidate from West Bengal soon after the Kargil War. While he was an MP, General Roychowdhury wrote his military memoirs entitled "Officially at Peace: Reflections on the Army and its role in troubled times" published by Penguin in 2002.

S. N. M. Abdi,

a bdnews24.com Contributing Editor in India, interviewed the former general about Dhaka-Delhi relations at his home in Salt Lake, Calcutta. Excerpts:

Q: What are the images Bangladesh conjures up for you?

A: Bangladesh immediately reminds me of the 1971 war of liberation in which I participated. I was a Major in plainclothes operating with the Mukti Bahini deep inside what was then East Pakistan.

Q: Operation Jackpot?

A: Yes that was the codename of the Indian army's secret operation to train and equip refugees as guerrillas to attack the Pakistani army. Needless to say, the operation was a roaring success. I saw action in Kushtia, Barisal, Khulna and Jessore before returning to India in January 1972.

Q: What's your advice to Manmohan Singh and Sheikh Hasina Wajed ahead of the Indian premier's visit to Bangladesh?

A: They have met earlier - which is a good thing. So they have to build on the foundation laid during Sheikh Hasina's visit to India in January 2010. Bangladesh is a friend and neighbour. It's time to strengthen economic and trade ties. Being a much larger economic entity, India must give preferential treatment to Bangladeshi goods. Stronger and deeper business and trade relations will cement bilateral bonds. And I do hope they run a train between Dhaka and Agartala soon like the Calcutta-Dhaka Maitreyee Express.

Q: On a scale of 1-10, where would you place current India-Bangladesh relations?

A: 8 or more at present. A perfect 10 is difficult. So both nations should strive to maintain it at 8. It had plunged to 2-3 before Awami League recaptured power in 2008. BNP rule invariably takes a heavy toll of India-Bangladesh relations. And it's a fact we can't overlook.

Q: Is the 2.5:1 deployment on the border in India's favour a necessity or a show of military strength?

A: The ground reality requires it. As you know, the army is not deployed on the Bangladesh border. But our BSF is the largest border guarding force in the world. And it has lots on its plate. The BSF is a bulwark against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants besides smugglers and criminals of both countries. So the deployment is actually in everyone's interest.

I don't know how much of the India-Bangladesh border is still unfenced. The task should be completed quickly. It will solve a lot of problems.

Q: How are military-to-military relations between India and Bangladesh? Do you think armed forces may succeed where diplomats cannot?

A: Bangladesh has a much smaller army. Indian army should maintain good relations with it. Bangladesh's army is not a threat like Pakistan's or China's. Relations between the two armies were formal when Awami League was not in power. But now it's cordial. The bottomline is that after 1971 we have never felt the necessity of deploying the army on the Bangladesh border because there has been no outbreak of hostilities. When army-to-army ties are good, then diplomats have one less thorn to pluck out.

During my tenure as COAS, Prime Minister Narasimha Rao handled the Defence portfolio. On several occasions we discussed ways and means of maintaining military equilibrium with Bangladesh. The PM advised me to maintain peace but remain vigilant.

Q: From the Indian military point of view, does Pakistan exercise a bad influence on Bangladesh?

A: Pakistan had a strong presence in Bangladesh. Pakistan instigated the Bangladesh army to adopt an aggressive attitude towards India. Thanks to Pakistan, there was a phase when there was very little interaction between the Bangladeshi and Indian army. Bangladeshi army consulted the Pakistani army and sought its advice for conducting its affairs, including their approach to India. So Indian armed forces should always keep an eye on military ties between Dhaka and Islamabad.

Q: Why do you think there is a certain keenness in Dhaka to cultivate China?

A: Because China can provide more resources to Bangladesh than India because of its sheer economic strength. The Chinese also choose to be very liberal when they want to. Militarily it doesn't concern us. But as China is not a friendly nation, and it is gifting military hardware to Bangladesh at heavily subsidised rates, we need to monitor collaboration between Bangladesh and Chinese armed forces in our national interest.

Q: How would you describe the Bangladeshi army today?

A: It's a good professional army. It's deployed extensively in United Nations peacekeeping duties. Bangladesh army is very good - just like the Indian or Pakistani army. The quality of manpower is solid. But equipment-wise they obviously don't match up.

Q: Did you ever set your foot in Bangladesh after 1971?

A: I revisited Bangladesh after 30 years. In 2001 I was a member of a parliamentary delegation. Shiekh Hasina was the PM. The government and the people were very cordial and wanted to develop close relations with India.

In 1971 I saw a war-ravaged, under-developed country. Three decades later it was doing its best to reconstruct and stabilise. Most importantly, I met Bangladeshis who were with me in the Mukti Bahini - Taufiq Elahi (now Energy Adviser to the PM), Major Abu Usman Chowdhury and Shafiullah - after such a long gap.

Q: What would have been your major concerns if you headed Bangladesh's armed forces instead of India's?

A: India's military superiority is of course overwhelming. But the Bangladesh military will have to defend its territory by whatever means are available. Every Bangladeshi COAS would naturally plan accordingly.