bBritish Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s four-day visit to India starting today is not just a visit by a head of government to her neighboring country. And that is because India and Bangladesh have a unique relationship.
In 1971, during the Bangladesh Liberation War, soldiers from both countries shed blood jointly, in some cases detonating a single enemy artillery shell or automatic weapons. Sometimes, the mutilated bodies of Indian and Bangladeshi soldiers were difficult to distinguish from each other. The plant of friendship was planted on 26 March 1971 by ‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and till 16 December that year watered with the blood of soldiers of both the countries.
a friendship was born
51 years ago, the sense of border for 75 million Bangladeshis disappeared as Indians opened doors for them. India was a poor country at that time, but its heart was bigger than the Himalayas. The Indian Army did not believe that Mukti Bhaini (or Bangladesh Forces) belonged to another country, nor did it consider the 1971 war to be a war of another country. They trained together and about a hundred officers became the backbone of the Bahadur Bangladesh forces. (I, RP Singh, was part of a team teaching Bangladeshi cadets the art of warfare. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s younger brother, Shaheed Captain Sheikh Kamal, was one of my trainees. Those cadets became lifelong friends of India. )
By 15 November 1971, the Mukti Bahini had crushed the defenses of the Pakistani Army. Pakistani troops would not move out of the cantonments as the countryside was completely under the control of Mukti Bahini. On 21 November, the Indian and Bangladeshi (Mujibnagar) governments formed a joint command led by Lieutenant General JS Aurora, making the two armies “Mitro Bahini”. Mitro Vahini liberated Bangladesh in just 12 days. This was possible due to the ground work done by Mukti Bahini and the jointness of both the armies.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on both sides of the Radcliffe Line are set to fulfill the dreams of liberation war veterans like us, who struggled to develop lasting ties. A lot has been achieved jointly, especially since 2014 when Modi took over as the Indian Prime Minister. land boundary agreement has been made implementedAnd Bangladesh, according to a former chief of the National Security Guard, is much more helped India controls and manages “all the problems that happened in the Northeast”.
The two Prime Ministers have laid a strong foundation with a seamless transit facility between India and Bangladesh by rail, road, inland water transport, pipelines and power transmission lines. This was crucial for the progress of Bangladesh as well as India’s northeastern states as their economies are geographically and historically intertwined.
Read also: Bangladesh’s independence was not about the Indian army. Public diplomacy played a huge role
still have some work to do
Yet there are major and minor obstacles. The two leaders should take immediate steps to harness the millions of cusecs of water from 54 rivers that flow through Bangladesh into the Bay of Bengal, which cause floods every year in both countries. Both the countries need to build mini dams at the foothills of the Himalayas and the Mizo Hills. The saved water and electricity will meet the needs of millions of people on both sides of the international border. Sometimes border killings, illegal crossings of IB still remain a hindrance in India-Bangladesh friendly relations. There is a need to identify the key areas where both the countries can collaborate for ‘Make in India and Bangladesh’.
Biometric identification of all citizens of both the countries should be done expeditiously to eliminate illegal crossings of IBs. The Border Security Force (BSF) must maintain its human face and if there is any illegal infiltration, they should be tracked with advanced technology-detected, arrested and deported. There is a need to jointly develop the border areas rapidly. There is a need to further improve the joint mechanism to check border crime. Politicians and media should be cautioned not to use offensive language against each other on the thorny issues that occasionally crop up between the two neighbours.
One lakh cadres of Mukti Bahini were trained in seven camps in India under ‘Op Jackpot’ including the Murti camp in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal where officer cadets of the First and Second War courses, including martyr Captain Sheikh Kamal. Unfortunately, no one in India is aware of the role played by Murti Camp in the liberation struggle, while it is a household name in Bangladesh. Of the 61 officers of the First Battle Course, three were killed in action during the war and on 15 August 1975, Captain Kamal. In Bangladesh, this milestone is mentioned in several books written in Bengali and in English. newest, idol boy, was released on 3 July 2022, in which we participated virtually. A suitable monument should be erected in the idol.
Age is taking its toll on liberation fighters on both sides of the international border. Almost all of us are in our 70s and 80s. Soon the memories of the liberated warriors will remain. Once they are gone, valuable information will be lost forever. Therefore, true historical events should be kept in black and white and conveyed to every household in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan through books, TV serials and films. On our part, we have written many books and articles in newspapers and magazines in India and Bangladesh. Unfortunately, Indians and Bangladeshis have different stories/versions about the same incident/event from 1971. The two countries should have a common official history.
We are glad that the future of the future generation for which we have given our yesterday is bright under the wonderful leaders of both the countries. We wish both the Prime Ministers all the best for their future ventures and god’s speed.
Brigadier (Retd) RP Singh, VSM, Indian Army, Tweet @rpsingh2008.
Lt Col (Retd) Qazi Sajjad Ali Zaheer (Bir Pratik and Padma Shri), Bangladesh Army.
Thoughts are personal.