Diplomatic relations of Bangladesh during liberation war

What is diplomacy?

Diplomacy (from Latin diploma, meaning an official document, which in turn derives from the Greek δίπλωμα, meaning a folded paper/document) is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states. It usually refers to international diplomacy, the conduct of international relations through the intercession of professional diplomats with regard to issues of peace-making, trade, war, economics, culture, environment and human rights. International treaties are usually negotiated by diplomats prior to endorsement by national politicians. In an informal or social sense, diplomacy is the employment of tact to gain strategic advantage or to find mutually acceptable solutions to a common challenge, one set of tools being the phrasing of statements in a non-confrontational, or polite manner.

Bangladesh india relations

The birth Bangladesh in 1971 was the product of discrimination of Pakistan. Bangladesh (former East pakistan) gained the bitter experience of about a quarter century of union with Pakistan.  The illogical geographical boundary of Pakistan (East Pakistan was separated from west Pakistan by one thousand miles of Indian territory) and ethnic, linguistic, and cultural differences between the two wings were compounded by economic exploitation and political  domination of west Pakistani rulings elites.

Bangladesh  and India are part of the Indian Subcontinent and have had a long common cultural, economic and political history. The cultures of the two countries are similar; in particular Bangladesh and India's states West Bengal and Tripura are all Bengali-speaking. However, since the partition of India in 1947, Bangladesh (formerly East Bengal and East Pakistan) became a part of Pakistan. Following the bloody Liberation War of 1971, Bangladesh gained its independence and established relations with India. The political relationship between India and Bangladesh has passed through cycles of hiccups. The relationship typically becomes favorable for Bangladesh during periods of Awami League government.^[1] Relations have improved significantly, after Bangladesh's clampdown on anti-Indian groups on its soil, such as the United Liberation Front of Assam, Bangladesh's Prime Minister's Sheikh Hasina's state visit to India in January 2010, and continued dialogue over the controversial Farakka Barrage.

Historical background

During the Partition of India after independence in 1947, the Bengal region was divided into two: East Bengal (present-day Bangladesh) and West Bengal. East Bengal was made a part of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan due to the fact that both regions had an overwhelmingly large Muslim population, more than 86%. In 1955, the government of Pakistan changed its name from East Bengal to East Pakistan.
There were some confrontations between the two regions though. Firstly, in 1948, Muhammad Ali Jinnah declared that Urdu would be the sole official language of the entire nation, though more than 95% of the East Bengali population spoke Bengali. And when protests broke out in Bangladesh on February 21, 1952, Pakistani police fired on the protesters, killing hundreds. Secondly, East Bengal/East Pakistan was allotted only a small amount of revenue for its development out of the Pakistani national budget. Therefore, a separatist movement started to grow in the estranged province. When the main separatist party the Awami League, headed by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won 167 of 169 seats up for grabs in the 1970 elections and got the right to form the government, the Pakistan president under Yahya Khan refused to recognize the election results and arrested Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. This led to widespread protests in East Pakistan and in 1971, the Liberation War, followed by the declaration (by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 7 March 1971) of the independent state of Bangladesh.
India played a massive role in helping Bangladesh gain independence. India under Indira Gandhi fully supported the cause of the Bangladeshis and its troops and equipment were used to fight the Pakistani forces. The Indian Army also gave full support to the main Bangladeshi guerrilla force, the Mukti Bahini. Finally, on 26 March 1971, Bangladesh emerged as an independent state. Since then, there have been several issues of agreement as well as of dispute.
Both Bangladesh and the India are part of the Indian subcontinent and have had a long common cultural, economic and political history. The cultures of the two countries are similar. The two Indian states of West Bengal and Tripura speak the language that is also spoken in Bangladesh, Bengali. In 1947, India became independent from the British India of the United Kingdom and was split into Pakistan and what is now the Republic of India. At that time, Bangladesh was known as East Pakistan, before simply as East Bengal. In 1971, there was a war which ended with East Pakistan becoming independent (and renaming itself to the People's Republic of Bangladesh). In this war, Indian troops fought together with East Pakistani ones, against West Pakistan. Today, West Pakistan is called Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
To most outsiders, the people of the two countries are indistinguishable. The cultures of the two countries are similar hui in particular India's West Bengal and Tripura states and Bangladesh are both Bengali-speaking. Tripura is called and was known as the Chittagonian Plains of Bengal: since the Sylhet District was once part of the Chittagong Division, during Pakistani rule. Also Tripura forms an enclave of the eastern side of the country, and Bangladesh itself forms an enclave of eastern side of Northeast India completely surrounded on three sides except for the south-eastern corner.

The Diplomatic Relations between Bangladesh & India since Independence of 1971

Syed Manzur Murshed, 11 June, Abnews: In the backdrop of massive globalization sweeping across the wide world, on big or small country can go alone, not to speak of a tiny state like Bangladesh. Diplomatic relations with neighboring countries, distant countries or with the super power or with the sub super power are a must to meet security challenges or threats emanating from within or without. Besides, the overriding importance of trade, commerce, industries, education, scientific, technical and technological know-how compel nations to forge diplomatic relations with other nations.
The special relations existing between India & Bangladesh ever since its inception can not be properly understood of its implications cannot be fully appreciated without a proper knowledge of its genesis.
Genesis of Bangladesh: The creation of Bangladesh on the ashes of East Pakistan has carved out a new country on the map of the globe. Nothing has been added or detracted. Only the old dispensation to British Raj promulgated on14th August, 47 (described by some notorious pro-Pakistanis as permanent settlement) has undergone a sea-change into something rich and strange.
In connivance with the local lackeys, British manipulation in creation an abnormal state like Pakistan, having two wings separated by a distance of nearly one thousand and one hundred miles, was nothing but a strategy aimed at using creation of Pakistan as a separate homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent on a flimsy ground like untenable ''two nations theory'', as a peg to partition India.
The only cementing factor between these two wings was nothing but the religion of Islam of Pakistani brand. The rulers of Pakistan clearly grasped the tenuous nature of the link holding these two wings. So Islam was hawked about and over-accentuated in all walks of life, violating all bounds of decency. Many left-leaning intellectuals, political leaders and workers were sent to jails without any trial or semblance of justice. Some of them were inhumanly tortured. The name of such a victim is Pritilata sen, an educated woman of high culture. Many stalwart opposition leaders like Husein Shahid Suhrawardy were incarcerated. Whenever the people of East Pakistan made demands for their right share or clamoured for legitimate demands, the leaders were dubbed as traitors and put behind the bars. To suppress their genuine demands, the Pakistani rulers used the tags of ''Islam is in danger'' and ''Kashmir is danger''. Nothing could be done in contravention of religious tenets of so-called Pakistani Islam. Even Parliament or the constitution could not do anything repugnant to socalled Islam. And there was a particular way of interpreting Islam in the Light of Wahabi or Pakistani way. So no further scope was left to get their grievances redressed. The Pakistani rulers exploited East Pakistan and enriched West Pakistan. Most of the industries belonged to the West Pakistani Industrialists like Bawani, Adamjee and Ispahani. West Pakistan was also in an advantageous position with regard to international as well as national trade & commerce. In order to continue their exploitation of this country on a permanent basis, they evolved laws and devised many strategies to turn it into a veritable colony. They started here all kinds of cultural regimentation and the process of denationalizing the Bangalees. They tried to impose Urdu as a state language on the Bengalees whose mother tongue was Bengali.They tried to exterminate the local people's cultural roots and tried to impose Pakistani culture on them. The Pakistani rulers and military junta wanted to lead the East Pakistanis to such a religio-political state where they would willingly shut their eyes to all kinds of economic disparity, regimentation, exploitation, oppression, repression and forego all demands for redressing the grievances only in the name of Muslim brotherhood and Islamic fervour. Under the leadership of Awami League president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Six point demands were raised. The Military junta tried to torpedo the movement since its inception. The right demands of the 7 crore people of East Pakistan could not be trampled upon. President Yahya Khan came to East Pakistan to settle all political turmoil and dissension through peaceful negotiation. It was only an overt appearance. But covertly there was a treacherous move to buy time and bring necessary armed forces from West Pakistan. Although Sheikh Mujib could sense a clear conspiracy, he could not but attend the meetings with General Yahya Khan in order to save the appearance, for our masses of people would not have understood the foul game played by the sinister military junta. The unprovoked perfidious military crackdown on the unarmed civilian population of East Pakistan on 25th March, 1971 at midnight brought our people to their senses. The people saw through the treachery hatched in the name of Islam. All the people (except a few Rajakars and local comprador) rose as one nation and wrested freedom after supreme sacrifice of few millions of precious lives and a sea of human blood. The discomfiture of the military junta was complete when they surrendered on 16th December at Suhrawurdy Uddyan. Now the socalled politicians to the luxury and cosy comfort of an AC room may interpret the history of the independence of Bangladesh in their wishy-washy way but there can be no denying the fact that the major contributions towards our gaining independence come from India's direct involvement and their active participation with the armed forces in the war efforts. About 22 thousand Indian soldiers courted death on our soil but for our independence. About one crore people of Bangladesh took shelter in India. Poor as it is, India fed them and stood by the side of the neighbouring people. Not only that, Since Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger were dead against our independence, Srimati Indira Gandhi had to start a subtle diplomatic offensive. Through her wide ranging diplomacy she could gain our independence, save the life of incarcerating Mujibur Rahman and secure his ultimate release from Pakistani jail. One can rightly say that the war of Independence was not complete till the release of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Father of the nation.

The special relation binding the two countries:

India not only actively collaborated in its independence but nursed it in its cradle and infancy. When the country was taken over by the Bangladesh government from the occupation forces, India rendered immediate help immensely in repairing and rebuilding roads, bridges, culverts and offices. Indian government also helped the country with vehicles diesel and petrol.
During a year or two following the victory Day (16th December 1971) the relation between india and Bangladesh was very sweet. Communal and anti-Indian propaganda by the pro-Pakistani elements and Rajakars began to sweep the country from the one end to the other. These anti-independence elements were given amnesty by Bangabandhu who was surrounded by some wily and oily notorious sycophants.
He was mislead in many ways by some elements, both local and international. One of the state principles being secularism, he defiantly joined OIC conference at Lahore and Bangladesh became a member of OIC, ostensibly a Muslim communal organization.
On the brutal killing of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with his family members, state power went to the hands of anti-independence of communal forces. Immediately after his killing the diplomatic relation between India and Bangladesh was not snapped but deteriorated much. There was much commotion and

Bangladesh–People's Republic of China relations

The bilateral relations between the People's Republic of China and the People's Republic of Bangladesh were established between late 1975 and 1976 by then President of Bangladesh Ziaur Rahman. Ties had been non-existent since Bangladesh's independence in 1971, owing to China's opposition to its creation. But once ties were established, both nations grew closer on both the international stage and bilateral relations over the 1980s and 1990s.

The People's Republic of China supported Pakistan against the Bangladesh Forces during the Bangladesh Liberation War that resulted in the establishment of Bangladesh.^[1] In 1972, China exercised its veto power as a permanent member of the UN Security Council to block Bangladesh's entry into the United Nations. Bangladesh had aligned itself with India and the Soviet Union, both of whom had strained relations with Pakistan and China.

Bangladesh-United States relations

Bangladesh-United States relations are the bilateral relations between the People's Republic of Bangladesh and the United States of America.

During the Bangladesh Liberation War, the Nixon administration in America provided substantial diplomatic assistance to Pakistan and opposed the secession of Bangladesh. Despite the US government's strong stance, which was due to the strategic interests of developing close relations with China through Pakistan, there had been widespread public support for the cause of Bangladesh as world opinion began to be sympathetic towards the plight of Bengali civilians suffering from the 1971 Bangladesh atrocities. Influential US lawmakers including Senator Edward Kennedy and cultural figures such as Bob Dylan and Billy Preston engaged in formulating US public opinion against the Nixon administration. The Concert for Bangla Desh was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City during August, 1971 and was the first such charity concert of its kind creating an example for future concerts such as Live Aid. The concert attracted 40,000 people and was organized by George Harrison and Ravi Shankar.

Initially relations between the two nations were tense owing to Bangladesh's new government pursuing a close relationship with the Soviet Union, which, unlike America at the time, supported the Bangladesh Liberation War in the UN Security Council.
The United States formally recognized Bangladesh on 4 April 1972.^[1] The announcement of recognition was made a few hours after Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had said the United States consulate in Dhaka would be closed if the United States did not formally recognize Bangladesh.^[2] In June 1972, the United States officially upgraded its diplomatic mission in Dhaka to embassy status and pledged US$300 million in aid.^[3]
After the changeover of 1975, Bangladesh's military dictators condemned socialist policies of the Mujib era and pursued free market policies and moved towards closer relations with the United States. Since the restoration of democracy in 1991, relations have been further strengthened especially during visits by Bangladeshi and American leaders to each other's countries. United States President Bill Clinton was the first American president to visit the country in 2000.
Bangladesh also contributed significantly to the Operation Desert Storm as part of the multi national coalition to liberate Kuwait where thousands of Bangladeshis were stranded under Iraqi occupation.
Today the relationship between the two countries is based on what is described by American diplomats as the "three Ds", meaning Democracy, Development and Denial of space for terrorism. The United States is closely working with Bangladesh in combating Islamic extremism and terrorism and is providing hundreds of millions of dollars every year in economic assistance.
The United States has also assisted Bangladesh during cyclone relief operations in 1991 and 2007. Operation Sea Angel One in 1991 nd Operation Sea Angel Two in 2007 saw US Marines actively joining Bangladeshi troops in providing relief to thousands of people in southern Bangladesh who suffered as a result of the 1991 Bangladesh Cyclone and Cyclone Sidr.

Bangladesh soviet union relations

Bangladesh–Russia relations is the relationship between the two countries, Bangladesh and Russia the successor state of the Soviet Union.
During the Soviet era, it had been a strong supporter of the Mukti Bahini in the Bangladesh Liberation War and provided aid in terms of arms, medical and rehabilitation aid to the new nation. However, after the victory of the 1971 war and the independence of Bangladesh there had been a buildup of suspicion amongst the Bangladeshis due to the prolonged presence of Soviet officials. This led to a rise in nationalism and catapulted nationalist leaders as Ziaur Rahman to power and changed the foreign policy of Bangladesh into a pro-capitalist nation.
Relations with the Soviet Union were cordial in the years immediately following independence. The Soviet Union supported Indian actions in aiding the war of independence, and after the war the Soviet Navy sent a floating workshop to Bangladesh for clearing Pakistani mines from the Chittagong and Chalna harbors. Mujib visited Moscow in 1972, and high-level officials from both countries made numerous reciprocal visits until 1975. The Soviets supported the socialist programs of the Mujib government and its very exceptionally close ties with India. Early Soviet aid was limited, however. During the first four months of its existence, Bangladesh received economic aid worth US$142 million from India, but only US$6 million from the Soviet Union.
After the 1975 coup, relations with the Soviet Union rapidly cooled. The military regimes of Zia and Ershad deemphasized socialist policies and encouraged closer ties with the United States, Arab states, Pakistan, and the Peoples Republic of China--all of which were politically distant from the Soviet Union. Bangladesh condemned Soviet support for Vietnam's occupation of Cambodia and Bangladesh also strongly opposed the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan along with other Western and Islamic nations and contributed to the effort to force the Soviet Union to withdraw. In 1989, the Soviet Union ranked 14th among aid donors to Bangladesh. The Soviets focused on the development of electrical power, natural gas and oil, and maintained active cultural relations with Bangladesh. They financed the Ghorasal thermal power station, the largest in Bangladesh. A low point in Bangladeshi-Soviet relations came after the expulsion of nine Soviet diplomats from Dhaka in December 1983 and January 1984. Moscow, in turn, refused to accept the new Bangladeshi ambassador and canceled a Bangladeshi trade mission visit to Moscow. It is also believed that the Communist Party of Bangladesh was funded and supported in the erstwhile volatile region of the former East Pakistan since it was part of Pakistan itself allied with the United States and China which were hostile towards rival Soviet Union, the party itself was based on the idealogical principals of Marxism.
Bangladeshi-Soviet relations rapidly improved in 1984 and regained a level of cordiality in the mid- and late 1980s. In 1985 the Soviet Cultural Centre reopened in Dhaka. In 1986 a Soviet special envoy visited Dhaka, and later the Bangladeshi foreign minister visited Moscow. Although Soviet aid to Bangladesh was still small compared with assistance from Japan, the United States, or even China, by 1987 Bangladesh had entered into sixteen different economic accords with the Soviet Union. Soviet assistance has concentrated on the energy sector, especially several power plants at Ghorasal, near Dhaka.

Backgrounds: Bangladesh Foreign Relations

Bangladesh pursues a moderate foreign policy that places heavy reliance on multinational diplomacy, especially at the United Nations.

Bilateral Relations With Other Nations

Bangladesh is bordered on the west, north, and east by a 2,400-kilometer land frontier with India, and on the southeast by a land and water frontier (193 kilometers) with Burma.

India. India is Bangladesh's most important neighbor. Geographic, cultural, historic, and commercial ties are strong, and both countries recognize the importance of good relations. During and immediately after Bangladesh's struggle for independence from Pakistan in 1971, India assisted refugees from East Pakistan, intervened militarily to help bring about the independence of Bangladesh, and furnished relief and reconstruction aid.

Indo-Bangladesh relations are often strained, and many Bangladeshis feel India likes to play "big brother" to smaller neighbors, including Bangladesh. Bilateral relations warmed in 1996, due to a softer Indian foreign policy and the new Awami League government. A 30-year water-sharing agreement for the Ganges River was signed in December 1996, after an earlier bilateral water-sharing agreement for the Ganges River lapsed in 1988. Both nations also have cooperated on the issue of flood warning and preparedness. The Bangladesh government and tribal insurgents signed a peace accord in December 1997, which allowed for the return of tribal refugees who had fled into India, beginning in 1986, to escape violence caused by an insurgency in their homeland in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The implementation of all parts of this agreement have stalled, and the army maintains a very strong presence in the area. The army is increasingly concerned about a growing problem of cultivation of illegal drugs.

Pakistan. Bangladesh enjoys warm relations with Pakistan, despite the strained early days of their relationship. Landmarks in their reconciliation are:

• An August 1973 agreement between Bangladesh and Pakistan on the repatriation of numerous individuals, including 90,000 Pakistani prisoners of war stranded in Bangladesh as a result of the 1971 conflict;
• A February 1974 accord by Bangladesh and Pakistan on mutual recognition followed more than 2 years later by establishment of formal diplomatic relations;
• The organization by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) of an airlift that moved almost 250,000 Bengalis from Pakistan to Bangladesh, and non-Bengalis from Bangladesh to Pakistan; and
• Exchanges of high-level visits, including a visit by Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto to Bangladesh in 1989 and visits by Prime Minister Zia to Pakistan in 1992 and in 1995.

Still to be resolved are the division of assets from the pre-1971 period and the status of more than 250,000 non-Bengali Muslims (known as "Biharis") remaining in Bangladesh but seeking resettlement in Pakistan.

Burma. Bilateral ties with Burma are good, despite occasional border strains and an influx of more than 270,000 Muslim refugees (known as "Rohingya") from predominantly Buddhist Burma. As a result of bilateral discussions, and with the cooperation and assistance of the UNHCR, most of the Rohingya refugees have now returned to Burma. As of 2003, about 20,000 refugees remain in camps in southern Bangladesh.

Former Soviet Union. The former Soviet Union supported India's actions during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war and was among the first to recognize Bangladesh. The U.S.S.R. initially contributed considerable relief and rehabilitation aid to the new nation. After Sheikh Mujib was assassinated in 1975 and replaced by military regimes, however, Soviet-Bangladesh relations cooled.

In 1989, the U.S.S.R. ranked 14th among aid donors to Bangladesh. The Soviets focused on the development of electrical power, natural gas and oil, and maintained active cultural relations with Bangladesh. They financed the Ghorasal thermal power station--the largest in Bangladesh. Recently, Russia has conducted an aggressive military sales effort in Dhaka and has succeeded with a $124-million deal for eight MIG-29 fighters. Bangladesh began to open diplomatic relations with the newly independent Central Asian states in 1992.

China. China traditionally has been more important to Bangladesh than the former U.S.S.R., even though China supported Pakistan in 1971. As Bangladesh's relations with the Soviet Union and India cooled in the mid-1970s, and as Bangladesh and Pakistan became reconciled, China's relations with Bangladesh grew warmer. An exchange of diplomatic missions in February 1976 followed an accord on recognition in late 1975.

Since that time, relations have grown stronger, centering on trade, cultural activities, military and civilian aid, and exchanges of high-level visits, beginning in January 1977 with President Zia's trip to Beijing. The largest and most visible symbol of bilateral amity is the Bangladesh-China "Friendship Bridge," completed in 1989 near Dhaka, as well as the extensive military hardware in the Bangladesh inventory and warm military relations between the two countries. In the 1990s, the Chinese also built two 210-megawatt power plants outside of Chittagong; mechanical faults in the plants cause them to frequently shut down for days at a time, heightening the country's power shortage.

Other countries in South Asia. 

Bangladesh maintains friendly relations with Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka and strongly opposed the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Bangladesh and Nepal recently agreed to facilitate land transit bet