Published: 06:37 AM, 10 May 2024
We Must Not Forget Who Stood by Bangladesh in 1971 and Who Opposed Us
Bangladesh’s history of deprivations, injustice, discrimination and torment that the nation had to go through at the hands of Pakistan is still glaringly inscribed in our minds. For this reason, fighting for independence was the only choice for Bangladesh. Under those crucial circumstances India proved its brotherly bonds with us by standing beside Bangladesh on diplomatic, military and humanitarian fronts. Over ten million refugees from Bangladesh took shelter on Indian soil. Most of the freedom fighters of Bangladesh were trained up in India who moved back into Bangladesh to fight for the country’s liberation. In this way the relationship between Bangladesh and India is written in golden letters.
Geopolitical analysts have frequently stated that China instigated the Rohingya influx into Bangladesh. China is always on Myanmar’s side which is why the international powers including the United Nations are not being able to persuade Myanmar to repatriate Rohingyas back into Myanmar.
Bangladesh should not fall in the pitfall of Chinese debt trap diplomacy. Chinese loans have endangered the economy of many countries including Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Kenya, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Serbia, Montenegro and so on. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is being spearheaded by China. It’s part of China’s One Belt, One Road (OBOR) program. China’s affiliation with Karachi Stock Exchange has devastated the share market of Pakistan. It should be noted that Pakistan graduated from least developed countries (LDC) in 1969 but Bangladesh has crossed Pakistan’s economy in all terms.
History shows that China opposed the independence of Bangladesh while the glorious Liberation War of 1971 was going on. China has always been the closest ally to Pakistan. Three million martyrs who got killed during 1971 were shot with Chinese bullets. Thus getting closer to China ideologically contradicts with the essence of 1971. Pakistan and China both should apologize to Bangladesh for the war crimes committed in Bangladesh during the Liberation War of 1971.
China even did not recognize Bangladesh while Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was alive. China acknowledged Bangladesh after Bangabandhu was assassinated. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman did not visit China after Bangladesh’s independence.
China is at the back responsible for the Rohingya influx into Bangladesh. The Rohingya refugees have now become a security threat to Bangladesh as some of these refugees are getting involved in various criminal activities. Even the environmental sanctity and biodiversity of the concerned areas are being destroyed by the Rohingya refugees. Myanmar violated the airspace of Bangladesh a couple of times but Bangladesh military forces showed self-restraint.
We must always remember that India and former Soviet Union selflessly supported and cooperated with Bangladesh during the Liberation War of 1971 which expedited our victory against the Pakistan Army.
Former President Ziaur Rahman initiated and augmented Bangladesh’s diplomatic ties with China after the killing of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Ziaur Rahman’s political views were to a great extent identical to the notions of Chinese Communist Party. A great number of politicians who believed in Chinese communism packed hands with Ziaur Rahman and joined Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) after 1975. Thus BNP and Chinese Communist Party are political allies to each other.
We should also speak the truth against religious extremists, communal organizations and radical groups. Fanatical Islamic parties like Hefazat-E-Islam threaten communal harmony in Bangladesh. Communal gangs vandalized Hindu people’s homes and temples during the Durga Puja festival of 2021. Hefazat-E-Islam activists smashed Bangabandhu’s sculptures in some parts of Bangladesh in 2021.
Socio-economic justice and equity were the main watchwords with which the glorious Liberation War was fought. Keeping this in view we should keep away from generating discrimination in our country on religious or any other basis. We do not want any isolation to take place between the believers of different religions in our country. It opposes the ideals with which the Liberation War was fought and it contradicts with the ideology of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
We must remember that Bangladesh exports most of its products to European Union (EU) and United States of America. Expatriate Bangladeshi workers send remittances to Bangladesh mostly from the Middle East countries which are politically allied to the United States and EU.
The Russia-Ukraine War has caused economic instability to the whole world, particularly to the developing countries. For this reason Bangladesh has to take its economic steps very cautiously while fuel price and food costs have escalated all over the world.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has deepened the decades-long strategic relationship between Pakistan and China. But it has also sparked criticism, including that it burdens Pakistan with mountains of debt, allowing China to use “debt-trap diplomacy” to gain access to strategic assets. While some of this criticism is valid, a closer look indicates that concerns around debt sustainability, tepid economic growth and overall economic and social instability in Pakistan predate CPEC. Moreover, it is the lack of long-term structural reforms that has stymied equitable socioeconomic progress in Pakistan.
China’s ability to exert influence on Pakistan’s economy has grown substantially in recent years, mainly due to the fact that Beijing is now Islamabad’s largest creditor. According to documents released by Pakistan’s finance ministry, Pakistan’s total publicly guaranteed external debt stood at $44.35 billion in June 2013, just 9.3 percent of which was owed to China. By April 2022, this external debt had ballooned to $90.12 billion, with Pakistan owing 27.4 percent —$24.7 billion — of its total external debt to China, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Every child in Bangladesh is born with a foreign debt of 23,425 taka. World Bank, IMF, JAICA provide loans to Bangladesh at 0.75% interest rate but Chinese loans to Bangladesh come with an interest rate of 2.45%. Simultaneously there are terms and conditions like hiring consultants from China and purchasing Chinese equipment.
There have been slating remarks on some Chinese projects and public-private-partnership projects (PPP) with allegations of over-evaluation—a point that deserves to be noted seriously by Bangladesh government. So, Bangladesh will have to think about further taking loans from China so that we do not face devastating consequences like Sri Lanka or Pakistan.
Mahfuz Ul Hasib Chowdhury is a
contributor to different English
newspapers and magazines.
