External Affairs minister, Natwar Singh, returned from Dhaka after raising hopes for the future of the long stalled Indo-Bangla ties. That no Indian prime minister has had the inclination or opportunity to visit an important neighbour like Bangladesh since 1999 tells us the sorry story of this bilateral relationship in recent times. Natwar Singh appears to have broken the mould and it is up to the government as a whole to work hard, and in unison, to make Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Dhaka in November a big success. Besides attending the twice postponed South Asian summit in Dhaka, he will spend some extra time in Dhaka to focus on Indo-Bangla ties.Natwar Singh’s diplomatic gains appears to be the result of a conscious decision to avoid the three major mistakes of the previous NDA government in dealing with Bangladesh. Despite its good intentions, it had given the impression that it was not ready to hear Bangladesh’s main grievances out. By lending a patient ear, Natwar Singh has now been able to alter the psychological dimensions of these relations. Second, unlike the NDA government, Natwar Singh has now promised a sustained engagement with Dhaka to resolve many outstanding issues, especially Dhaka’s demands for better access to Indian markets. Despite a huge trade surplus, Delhi has been unwilling until now to lower tariff barriers to exports from Bangladesh.While emphasising India’s strong concerns on illegal migration and the presence of Indian insurgent groups in Bangladesh, Natwar Singh’s softer public presentation may have created the political space to address these challenges in a cooperative atmosphere rather than through contentious argumentation. While the NDA government had made reduction of cross-border terrorism a precondition for progress on Indo-Bangla ties, Natwar Singh has brought in a measure of flexibility to the Indian approach. A similar tack by Vajpayee proved effective vis-a-vis Pakistan. There is no reason to doubt it would be equally productive with Bangladesh.
