Recently an improvement can be noticed regarding the relationship between India and Bangladesh. In an exclusive interview with VOA, Professor Imtiaz Ahmed speaks about the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India and how the Indo-Bangladesh relationship is looking right now.
Imtiaz Ahmed is optimistic about this visit because a qualitative change has taken place in the relationship between India and Bangladesh. He recalls the Indo-Bangladesh treaty that was signed between the then Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Mrs. Indira Gandhi. He says the time has come to materialize the treaty. Now that Sonia Gandhi and Sheikh Hasina are in power, he hopes that the governments of both countries will think about working together again.
However, he warns against being too optimistic because all the issues may not be resolved. Mistrust between the two governments has delayed much progress to bring the two countries together, but recently they seem to have decided to put aside suspicion and move towards confidence building. When asked about Tipaimukh Dam and river water sharing issues, Ahmed says he believes that New Delhi will not give up this opportunity to resolve outstanding issues between the two countries since they both depend on each other in order to move towards advancement.
Imtiaz Ahmed says that the opposition's warning to the Prime Minister is essentially a sort of political pressure. He added that such internal dynamics will eventually help Sheikh Hasina press for her demands in a more effective way by citing these domestic pressures.
Professor Imtiaz Ahmed teaches at the Department of International Relations, Dhaka University, Bangladesh.
