Bangladesh Wants ‘Give-And-Take’ Relation With India Based On Fairness: Army Chief

New Delhi: Tensions between India and Bangladesh have escalated since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to New Delhi for refuge in August.

India has repeatedly voiced its concern about attacks on minority Hindus in Bangladesh, while our neighbour has sought the return of Hasina to be tried for her alleged ‘crimes’.

In the backdrop of strained ties between the two countries, Bangladesh Army chief Gen Waker-Uz-Zaman said on Wednesday that bilateral relations must be based on ‘fairness.’

Calling India an “important neighbour”, Zaman that Bangladesh is dependent in many ways on India and will not do anything that goes against New Delhi’s strategic interests.

“India is an important neighbour. We are dependent on India in many ways. And India is getting facilities from us too. A large number of their people are working in Bangladesh, formally and informally. Many people go for medical treatment to India from here,” Zaman said said in an interview with leading Bangladeshi newspaper Prothom Alo, his first since Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge of a caretaker government following Hasina’s ouster.

“We buy a lot of goods from them. So, India has a lot of interest in Bangladesh’s stability. This is a give-and-take relationship. This must be based on fairness. Any country will want to get benefits from the other. There is nothing wrong in that,” the General said, according to a translated version of the interview posted on the newspaper’s website.

“At the same time, we will expect that our neighbour does nothing that is contrary to our interests. When we look after their interests, they will look after our interests with equal importance,” Zaman said regarding cooperation to ensure the security of India’s northeastern states.

Zaman added that India will have to address Bangladesh’s concerns on several issues, including sharing of waters of cross-border rivers and the issue of the alleged killing of people along the border by Indian security forces.

“They (India) will not kill our people along the borders… We will get our fair share of water. There is no problem with this. Let the relations be on an equal footing,” Zaman said.

He stressed that Bangladesh and India have to “maintain good relations based on equality” so that Bangladeshi people “in no way should feel India is dominating over us, which goes against our interests”.