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ISSN 0971-9318 HIMALAYAN AND CENTRAL ASIAN STUDIES (JOURNAL OF HIMALAYAN RESEARCH AND CULTURAL FOUNDATION) NGO in Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC, United Nations Vol. 7 Nos.3-4 July - December 2003 BANGLADESH SPECIAL Regimes, Power Structure and Policies in Bangladesh Redwanur Rahman Indo-Bangladesh Relations Anand Kumar India-Bangladesh Bilateral Trade: Issues and Concerns Indra Nath Mukherji Rise of Religious Radicalism in Bangladesh Apratim Mukarji Hindu Religious Minority in Bangladesh Haridhan Goswami and Zobaida Nasreen Situation of Minorities in Bangladesh Ruchira Joshi Conflict and the 1997 Peace Accord of Chittagong Hill Tracts Binalakshmi Nepram Demographic Invasion from Bangladesh Bibhuti Bhusan Nandy India and Bangladesh: The Border Issues Sreeradha Datta Bangladesh-Pakistan Relations Smruti S. Pattanaik HIMALAYAN AND CENTRAL ASIAN STUDIES Editor : K. WARIKOO Assistant Editor : SHARAD K. SONI © Himalayan Research and Cultural Foundation, New Delhi. * All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without first seeking the written permission of the publisher or due acknowledgement. * The views expressed in this Journal are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of the Himalayan Research and Cultural Foundation. SUBSCRIPTION IN INDIA Single Copy (Individual) : Rs. 200.00 Annual (Individual) : Rs. 400.00 Institutions : Rs. 500.00 & Libraries (Annual) OVERSEAS (AIRMAIL) Single Copy : US $ 15.00 UK £ 10.00 Annual (Individual) : US $ 30.00 UK £ 20.00 Institutions : US $ 50.00 & Libraries (Annual) UK £ 35.00 The publication of this journal (Vol.7, Nos.3-4, 2003) has been financially supported by the Indian Council of Historical Research. The responsibility for the facts stated or opinions expressed is entirely of the authors and not of the ICHR. Himalayan and Central Asian Studies is indexed and abstracted in PAIS International (OCLC Public Affairs Information Service), USA Subscriptions should be sent by crossed cheque or bank draft in favour of HIMALAYAN RESEARCH AND CULTURAL FOUNDATION, B-6/86, Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi - 110029 (India) Printed and published by Prof. K. Warikoo on behalf of the Himalayan Research and Cultural Foundation, B-6/86, Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi-110029. Printed at Print India, A-38/2, Mayapuri-I, New Delhi-64 and published at New Delhi. EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Hridaya Kaul Prof. Harish Kapur New Delhi (India) Professor Emeritus Graduate Institute of International Studies Geneva (Switzerland) Prof. Devendra Kaushik Prof. Amin Saikal Chairman Director Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Centre for Arab and Institute of Asian Studies Islamic Studies Kolkata (India) Australian National University Canberra (Australia) Prof. A.A. Aidaraliev Mr. Alexender Veigl President Secretary General International University of IOV Kyrgyzstan Vienna (Austria) Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) Prof. I.N. Mukherjee Dr. Lokesh Chandra Dean Director School of International Studies International Academy of Jawaharlal Nehru University Indian Culture New Delhi (India) New Delhi (India) Prof. Jayanta Kumar Ray Prof. Kalim Bahadur Vice Chairman New Delhi (India) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies Kolkata (India) CONTRIBUTORS Dr. Redwanur Rahman is Assistant Professor, Political Studies & Public Administration, Shah Jalal University of Science & Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh. Anand Kumar is Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management, New Delhi. Prof. Indra Nath Mukherji is Professor, South Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Apratim Mukarji is Senior Fellow, Indian Council of Social Science Research, Affiliated to South Asia Research Society, Kolkata. Haridhan Goswami is Doctoral Scholar at the Graduate School for International Development & Cooperation, Hiroshima University, Higashi- Hiroshima, Japan. Ms. Zobaida Nasreen is Research Scholar at the Graduate School for International Development & Cooperation, Hiroshima University, Higashi- Hiroshima, Japan. Dr. Ruchira Joshi is Singapore based Political Analyst and Researcher. Ms. Binalakshmi Nepram is a Research Scholar at School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Bibhuti Bhusan Nandy is former Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, retired Director General, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and former National Security Adviser, Government of Mauritius. Ms. Sreeradha Datta is Associate Fellow, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi. Dr. Smruti S. Pattanaik is Research Fellow, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi. Pritam Benerjee is associated with CII as an analyst at New Delhi. HIMALAYAN AND CENTRAL ASIAN STUDIES Vol. 7 Nos. 3-4 July - December 2003 CONTENTS Editor’s Page 1-3 Regimes, Power Structure and Redwanur Rahman 4-28 Policies in Bangladesh Indo-Bangladesh Relations Anand Kumar 29-40 India-Bangladesh Bilateral I.N. Mukherji 41-56 Trade: Issues and Concerns Rise of Religious Radicalism Apratim Mukarji 57-80 in Bangladesh Discourses on Minority Haridhan Goswami 81-102 Representation: The Case of and Hindu Minority in Bangladesh Zobaida Nasreen Situation of Minorities Ruchira Joshi 103-145 in Bangladesh Accord into Discord: Binalakshmi Nepram 146-168 Conflict and the 1997 Peace Accord of Chittagong Hill Tracts Demographic Invasion B.B. Nandy 169-176 from Bangladesh India and Bangladesh: Sreeradha Datta 177-195 The Border Issues Bangladesh-Pakistan Relations: Smruti S. Pattanaik 196-209 From Bitterness to Warmth Book Review 210-212 Editor’s Page Bordered by India on its west, north and east, Myanmar on the east and by the Bay of Bengal in the south, Bangladesh with over 140 million people is the most densely populated country. Having achieved its independence in December 1971, Bangladesh has been confronted with the problems of high population growth rate, poverty, floods and cyclones, which have been adversely affecting its economic development. Notwithstanding these problems, Bangladesh has registered economic growth of about 5 per cent, which is sustained by liberal foreign assistance, exports particularly of readymade garments and remittances from Bangladeshis working abroad. Though majority of its population (about 88 per cent) are Muslims, there are other communities such as Hindus (10.5 per cent), Buddhists, Christians and others (about 1.5 per cent). Independent Bangladesh emerged in December 1971 on the strength of Bengali nationalism and as a secular country. However, after the assassination of Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rahman in 1975, Bengali nationalism of the pre and post-liberation period was replaced by Bangladeshi nationalism. Now, the secular principle of the constitution of 1972 was dropped and the Islamic orientation of the polity became pronounced. The political-bureaucratic-military elite started using Islam to legitimize their leadership. Bangladesh now sought to emphasise its links with the Islamic Ummah and stressed the need to maintain special relations with the Islamic countries. This shift in its foreign policy brought Bangladesh certain economic benefits in terms of liberal assistance by the West Asian countries and consequent easing of pressure on its oil import bill. The country witnessed the resurgence of Islamic fundamentalism, as Jamaat-e-Islami and other Islamic outfits such as Islamic Chatro Shibir and Islami Oikyo Jote consolidated and expanded their institutional network fully utilizing the Islamic petro dollars. Of late, the existence of Islamist militant underground groups such as Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami (HUJI), Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohmmad in Bangladesh and their Himalayan and Central Asian Studies Vol.7 Nos.3-4, July-Dec. 2003 1 continued anti-India activities, has been a major security threat to India. Whereas the Islamic fundamentalist outfit Shahadat-e-al-Hakima which advocates the occupation of West Bengal by Bangladesh, has been banned by Bangladesh in February 2003, it needs to initiate similar action against such other organizations operating against India from Bangladeshi soil. Given Bangladesh’s commitment to the global campaign against terrorism, it would be in Dhaka’s interest to curb the rise of Islamist extremism and terrorism. Bangladesh should continue to be seen as a moderate, pluralistic society committed to regional peace, democratic values and practices. Sharing a common land border of over 4,100 kms. Both Bangladesh and India are bound by age old traditions, culture and history. Notwithstanding the significant role played by India in the liberation of Bangladesh, relations between the two countries have been beset with several irritants. The rise of Islamic fundamentalism and existence of Islamist militant groups in Bangladesh, illegal migration of millions of Bangladeshis into India, Bangladesh's reservation to export its gas to India, Dhaka's refusal to provide transit access for India's north-east, undermarcated border tract of about 6 kms., existence of enclaves in each other's country and water sharing are the main issues that need to be addressed. Illegal immigration of over 15 million Bangladeshi nationals to India has changed the demographic profile of some north-eastern states of India, besides increasingly pressure on land and resources causing social tension. Bangladesh's failure to cooperate with India in the repatriation of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants has complicated the
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