Foreign policies are designed to establish diplomatic relations among states. The success of foreign policies depends not only on the material capabilities of a state but also on political philosophy of its leadership. Politically speaking, a newly emerged state engineering sound foreign policies which will surely guarantee the state's core objectives and continued prosperity is a political art for its existence and prestige.
There is no denying that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founder of our nation, shrewdly tailored remarkable foreign policies with the line of strategic objectives for the nascent state. In fact, he was one of the most influential doyens to strategic community during the Cold War period.
When Bangladesh emerged as an independent state in the world map, its architect was still in Pakistan's prison. Having returned to Bangladesh from the Pakistani Jail via London and New Delhi on 10 January 1972, Bangabandhu got a war-torn country the appearance of which was extremely horrible and devastating.
Nonetheless, he was not perplexed to reconstruct the country. While drafting the constitution, he set up foreign policies of the country. His foreign policies were essentially based on "Friends with all, malice towards none". This famous dictum has been the integral part of the present Bangladesh for its engagement with foreign states.
Bangabandhu visited India on 6 February, 1972. During this strategic visit, it was decided that India would withdraw its soldiers from Bangladesh by March and it was accordingly accomplished on the first day of the proposed month. He actually wanted to show the world Bangladesh was not under the control of India. And Indian army withdrawal helped to paint an acclaimed image about our country. In late February, he visited Moscow.
Indian PM Mrs. Indira Gandhi came to Bangladesh on 17 March. The two prime ministers signed a 25-year Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Peace on 19 March, 1972. The strategic significance of the treaty was laudable in terms of strong bilateral relations between the two neighboring countries.
However, it was politically a watershed moment when the Himalayan man formulated a balanced foreign policy towards the two superpower blocs on the calculation that dependencies on India and the then Soviet Union could not fulfill the massive needs of the baby state.
As a result, gargantuan Western aids poured into our country. His motive appeared more perspicuously when he took Bangladesh into the Non-aligned Movement. Unarguably, Bangabandhu had great moral and intellectual courage and so he dared to go against the tide.
During his regime, Bangabandhu paid visits to a number of foreign states for establishing economic and friendly ties with Bangladesh. He was successful to earn the recognition for the nation from almost all states except China, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Oman.
Interestingly, According to M.R. Akhtar Mukul's book, 'Mujibeyr Rokto Lal' (Mujib's Blood is Red), during a meeting between Bangabandhu and Saudi Monarch Faisal, our leader demanded recognition for Bangladesh to his Saudi counterpart. King Faisal expressed, "In order to receive Saudi recognition the name of Bangladesh has to be changed to the Islamic Republic of Bangladesh".
But Bangabandhu vented that, it was not possible to annihilate his secular stance on the consideration of 10 million non-Muslims. Most importantly, he cleverly uttered, "Saudi Arabia is not named the Islamic Republic of Saudi Arabia and we did not object to this. So, why precondition for Bangladesh?" His direct verbal rejoinder had made King Faisal flabbergasted!
Bangabandhu always stood for the oppressed. He once said at the conference of the Non-aligned Movement, "The world is divided into two parts - the oppressors and the oppressed. I am with the oppressed." In the article 25 of our constitution, he codified that Bangladesh will endorse oppressed people throughout the world wagging a just struggle against imperialism, colonialism and racialism.
Bangladesh got membership to the world's leading international organizations such as Commonwealth, UN, IMF, ILO, NAM, OIC etc. through the leadership of the nation's father.
Understanding the barriers for the small state on the basis of huge population, tiny size of territory, small sea frontage and economic backwardness, Bangabandhu portrayed strategic foreign policies to give Bangladesh the exalted position on economical, political, and strategic fronts. And, the outcomes of his foreign policy map came into the yard of our country in his time if we look how the economical, social, cultural, and political divides were to the citizens of the region from the Pakistani rules to his regime.
It is generally believed by many political analysts that Bangabandhu was a first class foreign policy maker but in domestic policy he was not well-versed. For this reason, the immature demise of his regime occurred in 1975 by some power-hunger military officers with the supports of a few distorted politicians.
However, I do not feel logical to recognize this claim. I believe his unconditional love for all the citizens of Bangladesh and unselfish duties to the country gave opportunities to some heinous people to assassinate Bangabandhu on 15 August, 1975 and take power. He was born in Tungipara, a village in Gopalganj District in the province of Bengal in British India, to Sheikh Lutfur Rahman, a serestadar (court clerk) of Gopalganj civil court and Sayera Khatun on 17 March 1920 .
For more than four decades, Bangabandu's visions and ideas have been influencing our foreign policy not from his title or statesmanship but through the faculty of his visionary ideas and vigor of his sharp intellect, despite some modifications of the constitution during military regimes.
Shuva Das is an undergraduate student of International Relations at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science & Technology University
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