Arun Joshi
As Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the country were deliberating on Monday on what has been achieved and lost in the past five years since the abrogation of Article 370, there came the news that Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had resigned and fled the country. It will take a while for many to understand the events that unfolded in Bangladesh and where Jammu and Kashmir stands today. The whole relationship dates back to 1971 when East Pakistan was wiped out of the map and a new nation -Bangladesh appeared on the global map. India had held Bangladesh to achieve its independence from the yoke of slavery imposed by Pakistan (then it was known as West Pakistan).
A few months short of 53 years after Bangladesh’s independence in December 1971, Mujibur-Rehman’s daughter and Prime Minister of the country for several years, Sheikh Hasina’s political career has come to. It also appears that her relationship with the country her father founded has also ended. This had to happen the way she acted against her political opponents, something that her father who stood for democracy and rights of the people would not have imagined ever.
India is emerging as a strong nation in the world. It has its own economy and political stability and deep-rooted democracy, but the fact is that it cannot remain untouched by the developments in its neighbourhood. India’s policy neighborhood first come into play all the time whenever something happens in the countries with which it shares border or in the nations deemed as extended neighborhood.
Bangladesh, however, is not like any other neighboring country for India. Delhi had played a crucial role in its liberation. Times and history cannot be changed, and no attempt should be made to erase facts of history. Massive unrest had started when the West Pakistan leaders, particularly Zulfikar Ali Bhutto refused to accept the people’s verdict in favour of Awami League of Mujib-Ur-Rehman and prompted then military ruler to go in for military oppression to suppress the movement for translation of votes into the formation of government by the winning party. The people harassed and tortured by Pakistan army had started coming into hordes into India for safety. According to an estimate more than 10 million had taken shelter in India. The then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi drew attention of the international community to the plight of people in East Pakistan and its fallout on India. Then US President Richard Nixon and his Secretary of State and NSA Henry Kissinger had warned India of consequences if India intervened in East Pakistan. Pakistan was a close ally of the US, and also a member of South-East Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO), Washington committed all help to its ally.
Today, the statute of man whom India supported and helped to come to power in newly created nation of Bangladesh was attacked by the protestors. This is an ugly scene and worrying scenario for India, as this country will have to act more than securing its borders with Bangladesh. The wisdom demands a cool analysis of the things that unfolded in the neighbouring country. Sheikh Hasina should not have resorted to crackdown on students who were demanding merit to be the criteria for jobs. They were protesting against 30 per cent quota in jobs for the families of those who participated in Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. Crackdown is not a panacea, at times it rebounds and brings to an end the rule which is perceived to be repressive and out of tune with the reality.
In the aftermath if 1971 war, Pakistan army surrendered to the Indian army – s signature photo of Gen A. A. K. Niazi signing the instrument of surrender to Indian Gen. Jagjit Singh Aurora is embedded in the memory of Indians and Pakistan. For Indians, it was a moment of victory, while Pakistan continues to live under this humiliation till date. Close to one lakh Pakistani soldiers were taken as PoWs- prisoners of war.
This situation made Pakistan to beseech for negotiations. Simla (Shimla) Agreement was born out of it. Indira Gandhi agreed to release all the PoWs and all the territories that the Indian army had captured during the war, including critically important strategic assets.
The Shimla Agreement of July 1972 was a watershed moment in the Indo-Pak history. It changed the whole complexion of Kashmir issue as both countries committed to resolve it bilaterally and Pakistan was not to raise it in the international forums and the LoC delineated in December 1971 was to be respected by both sides. The LoC was not to be altered unilaterally despite the differing positions and legal interpretations.
And what happened since July 1972, it is clear that Pakistan did not adhere to commitments it had made in the Agreement. It started interfering in the internal affairs of India, fueled propaganda about Jammu and Kashmir. It had started launching propaganda terrorism much before 1989 when it sent the infiltrators with arms and ammunition, trained to wage a proxy war against the Indian state. Thereafter what happened is a history.
At this moment, Pakistan is delighted at the outcome that has come about in Bangladesh. There are suggestions and seem to be credible too that Pakistan’s ISI which is close to Jamaat-i-Islami of Bangladesh added fuel to the fire to the students’ agitation. All this was done with the patronage of China. China and Pakistan are all -weather friends. The way Pakistani media has played up the celebrations in Bangladesh after Sheikh Hasina fled the country is indicative of its happiness over the outcome, as Pakistan continues to nurse the wounds of the loss of its eastern wing in 1971.
It is a critical moment for the Indian diplomacy. Sheikh Hasina is an acknowledged friend of India, but India will have to walk a fine line as it cannot condone the acts that brought about such a situation in which Bangladesh seems to be slipping into the hands of China and Pakistan nexus. India should be alert, and particularly in Jammu and Kashmir as the inimical forces continue to work tirelessly. Pakistan, the violator of Shimla Agreement cannot be trusted at the moment, no matter how much noise it may make for peace and friendship with India. It will have to demonstrate that by positive ad forward-looking actions. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
Disclaimer: This is the personal opinion of the author. The views expressed in this write-up have nothing to do with www.prameyanews.com.
