Sheikh Hasina took advantage of Bangladesh’s growing geostrategic importance in the wake of India-China strategic rivalry and opened up the door for China to invest in many projects in her country
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Sheikh Hasina’s ouster will not only have a gargantuan effect on Bangladesh but will also rattle the geopolitics of its subcontinent, including India.
Bangladesh has been a key ally to India since Hasina came to power in 2009. With her exit and a new military-backed interim government in place, not just security but trade ties could also get affected, restricting the movement of people and goods between the two countries.
New Delhi’s relations with Dhaka have often been stressed when the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) ruled Bangladesh with Khaleda Zia as the prime minister. The United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) and several other insurgent organisations operating in the northeast were allowed to set up bases in Bangladesh to prepare militants for carrying out attacks in India.
After Hasina returned to power in January 2009, she reversed the policy of BNP government. Tacit cooperation between the security agencies of Bangladesh and India resulted in the arrest of many insurgents. Hasina, however, took advantage of Bangladesh’s growing geostrategic importance of late amidst the India-China strategic rivalry and opened up the door for China to invest in many projects in her country, as per a report by Deccan Herald. Thus, the current situation in Bangladesh throws up several challenges before India, which is its immediate neighbour.