Cover interview: Tariq A Karim
East by Northeast: Bangladesh will be helping itself by helping the Indian Northeast. Only with Bangladesh will India's 'Look East' policy come into its own and acquire substance. Bangladesh is in a happy position to offer itself as a gateway between Southasia and Southeast Asia. The states of the Northeast are eager to develop a relationship with Bangladesh, and the chief ministers are visiting Dhaka. New Delhi has no problem with these contacts. Mizoram and Tripura have asked for haat bazaars to open along the border.
Mandate for bilateralism: There is a rare alignment in the political players who succeeded in the December 2008 elections in Bangladesh and the April-May 2009 elections in India. There was a strong alignment in 1970-71, next a relatively weak alignment in 1996, and now again we have an energetic alignment between the two prime ministers with strong mandates. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina came into office knowing that the relationship with India was of fundamental importance. She grasped the idea that, in the bilateral negotiations, the tradeoffs have to be cross-sectoral rather than unilinear. Meanwhile, we have to address and be seen to be addressing India's security concerns.
Transit: When the Bangladesh-India communiqué refers to transit, it refers to: a) transport between India's mainland and Northeast, through Bangladesh, b) access for Nepal and Bhutan to Bangladeshi ports, c) access for India's Northeast to Bangladesh ports, and, d) a land bridge between Southasia and Southeast Asia. The foundation for India-Bangladesh connectivity has been there since before Partition, with rail transport, road transport and water transport. When we revive connectivity, Bangladesh will benefit through transit fees. We can never correct the imbalance of commerce with India, so we have to try to bring some measure of balance through other means, such as income through transit. But to begin with, allowing transit gives us goodwill. The Dhaka establishment has always regarded transit as our bargaining chip, but we might miss the boat if we do not bargain properly.