Staff Correspondent
Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said India needs to address Bangladesh's longstanding
concerns to improve bilateral ties between Dhaka and New Delhi.
"Bangladesh's previous (ousted) government addressed the concerns of India, but India did not address
Bangladesh's concerns," he said while speaking at a roundtable titled “Bangladesh-India Relations:
Expectations, Barriers and Future.”
The South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SIPG) and the Department of Political Science and
Sociology (PSS) of North South University (NSU) hosted the event at its campus in the capital.
Touhid said there has been no progress on crucial issues between Bangladesh and India such as the
Teesta water-sharing agreement or the troubling problem of border killings.
“Such incidents do not occur along the borders of other countries unless there is a state of war,” Touhid
said adding that India must take responsibility for these issues.
“If individuals commit crimes, they might be prosecuted in court, but shouldn’t be killed,” he added.
Touhid also raised concerns about an aggressive media campaign in India against Bangladesh, especially
since August 5, noting that such rhetoric was detrimental to fostering healthy relations between the two
nations.
“In such a complex relationship, our (Bangladesh) media has a key role to play in fact-checking and
providing accurate coverage, especially regarding statements from our foreign ministry,” Touhid said.
Despite current diplomatic challenges, the adviser expressed optimism about the future of Bangladesh-
India relations accepting the reality in the context of the post-August 5 changed situation.
“There is a change in the relations after August 5. This is reality,” he said.
However, the foreign adviser said, Dhaka wants to remain optimistic that “we would be able to establish
a good relation with India making sure that bilateral interests are protected”.
Touhid emphasized the importance of a national consensus on foreign policy, saying Bangladesh could
not fully capitalize its potentials due to political divisions.
The adviser also highlighted the need to enhance the country’s national capacity, particularly through
the development of human resources.
Bangladeshi workers in the Middle Eastern countries earn significantly less than their Indian
counterparts. This is due to a lack of skills and poor proficiency in English, he explained.
Vice Chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Dr SM Asaduzzaman Ripon, joint member
secretary of the AB Party Barrister Asaduzzaman Fuaad, former diplomat Saquib Ali, former Principal
Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division Lt Gen (retd) Mohammad Mahfuzur Rahman, Vice-Chancellor
of Manarat International University Prof Dr Mohammad Abdur Rob attended the roundtable as panel
discussants.
NSU Vice-chancellor Prof Abdul Hannan Chowdhury was in the chair while Dr M Jashim Uddin, Associate
Professor of the Department of Political Science and Sociology acted as the moderator.
