India is watching with growing concern

NEW DELHI: India is worried about the political turmoil in Bangladesh. An unstable eastern neighbour adds to the country’s security concerns at a time when India appears more and more vulnerable to terror strikes.

Political turmoil in Bangladesh will give a fillip to forces inimical to India’s interests and the fact that the north-eastern region bordering Bangladesh is afloat with insurgent outfits makes it even more dangerous for New Delhi.

Ever since the Taliban government in Kabul was thrown out of power and the Al-Qaeda could no longer operate from Afghanistan, Indian intelligence agencies have worried about the rise of fundamentalism in Bangladesh.

Reports of Bangladeshis, who had gone to Afghanistan returning home to spread Islamic fundamentalist beliefs in the country, has been of great concern to India.

Though much of the reports of militant Islam spreading its tentacles in Bangladesh are exaggerated, there is alarm in India that its eastern border could now be vulnerable as its western boundary with Pakistan. Intelligence agencies believe that India’s soft border with Bangladesh could be used by radical terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Toiba, the Jaish-e-Mohammed and other such outfits to gain access to the Indian heartland.

These groups would get the support of hardline elements within Bangladesh, even from the army and the inelligence agencies, some of who continue to have links with Pakistan. A stable Bangladesh would make it easier for India to take up these issues with Dhaka. Without a proper administration in place things would become that much more difficult, senior officials in the government say.

India has long been unhappy with Dhaka turning a blind eye to the activities of north-eastern militants groups like ULFA. Many of its top leaders operate out of Bangladesh territory and have camps in the border areas.

Even at the best of times, when Sheikh Hasina’s Awami Leagu was in power in Dhaka, the government could do little to curb the activities of these groups.

India will be relieved by the news that the Bangladesh President has been able to getting the feuding political parties to agree on an interim government. Earlier in the day, the foreign ministry put out a statement from New Delhi.

“As a friendly neighbour, we are naturally interested in Bangladesh remaining peaceful and stable. It is our hope that the people of Bangladesh will be allowed to exercise their right to choose their own government in a free and fair manner in the forthcoming elections in accordance with their Constitution,” the foreign office said on Sunday.

The hope in Delhi is for the elections to take place without any violence and for a new government to be elected. “It does not matter who is in power in Dhaka, we have to deal with whoever is elected,” said an official who did not wish to be identified. He meant that New Delhi will not be taking sides in the country’s domestic politics.