India should use diplomacy to address B'desh minority concerns: Ex-Diplomat

Guwahati, Dec 13: India must address the issue of attacks on minorities in Bangladesh through diplomatic means, as using any other means is neither viable nor advisable, according to former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Ajay Bisaria.

In an exclusive interview with The Assam Tribune, Bisaria emphasised that the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh were a significant concern for India, both from a humanitarian and a political perspective. He recalled the massive influx of refugees in 1971, when ten million Bangladeshis sought shelter in India, and highlighted that Bangladesh now has over 13 million minority citizens. The possibility of any large-scale migration of these communities into India would pose a major challenge for the country, he cautioned.

Asked how India could respond to the issue, Bisaria stated that although Bangladesh asserts this is an internal matter, the treatment of minorities has significant impacts on Indian communities and the domestic social fabric. India thus has legitimate cause to raise concerns bilaterally or even to encourage international pressure on Bangladesh. However, he ruled out the use of force as an option. Commenting on India's evolving relationship with the new regime in Bangladesh, Bisaria characterised the recent visit of India's foreign secretary to Bangladesh as a pragmatic step forward.

He expressed confidence that India would continue to engage diplomatically on various issues, including economic and transport-related matters, to stabilise bilateral ties. "If India can engage with every regime in its neighbourhood, including the Taliban, there is no reason why it can't work constructively with any new regime in Bangladesh," he remarked. He also emphasised the importance of bolstering people-to-people ties to ease tensions and build goodwill.

On the contentious issue of extraditing ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, as demanded by the current regime in Bangladesh, Bisaria asserted that treating the former Bangladesh PM as a protected guest would be non-negotiable for India. He stressed that India values its reputation as a nation that stands by its friends. Extending humanitarian support to Sheikh Hasina would reinforce this commitment. "India would like to be seen as a country that does not abandon a friend. Hosting Hasina is not just a political but also a humanitarian gesture on India's part," he said.

By

R Dutta Choudhury