Golden Jubilee Of Independence: Global focus on Bangladesh

Bangladesh was in focus of the global community last week as the country celebrated the golden jubilee of independence and the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Global leaders -- from Joe Biden to Xi Jinping, Boris Johnson to Vladimir Putin, Justin Trudeau to Yoshihide Suga, Pope Francis to Antonio Guterres -- sent congratulatory messages, lauding its progress.

Five South Asian leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, joined the mega event from March 17-26, making the twin celebrations a union of regional leaders who renewed their commitments of integration through boosting connectivity, trade and tourism.

Bangladesh missions across the continents celebrated the occasion and were joined by ministers, politicians, diplomats, officials and academics.

On March 26, The London Eye, Europe's tallest cantilevered observation wheel, turned green and red, the colours of Bangladesh's flag.

"Although it was a ceremony, we have engaged a number of countries bilaterally and signed MoUs. Global leaders joining our celebrations created a scope to strengthen our position on the global stage," said Prof Delwar Hossain of international relations at Dhaka University.

Analysts said the celebrations were an opportunity to showcase the successes of Bangladesh, which was once termed by Henry Kissinger as a "bottomless basket" and synonymous to cyclone, flood and hunger.

Now, the country is an Asian tiger having seen sustained growth over the years, reducing poverty, improving life expectancy, enhancing literacy rates, and empowering women. The country is on track to graduate from the least developed country (LDC) category by 2026 and aims to become a developed country by 2041.

Bangladesh's dependence on foreign aid has largely reduced and trade partnership has grown, prompting it to sign preferential or free trade agreements with different countries. It is the world's eighth largest country in terms of its population, a large portion of which is made up of young and tech savvy people.

Some 10 million Bangladeshis live abroad including many in the developed countries of Europe and Americas.

Bangladesh is the second largest readymade garment producing country after China. Other sectors like pharmaceuticals, leather, processed food, and IT are catching up.

With an increasing capacity of power generation, establishing 100 special economic zones and developing connectivity, the country is increasingly becoming a lucrative destination for investment.

Bangladesh's position in the global forums too has been strong in recent years. The country played a pioneering role behind the Global Compact on Migration, while earning global recognition by sheltering one million Rohingya refugees and seeking justice for them. Bangladesh is also the largest peacekeeper-sending nation to the UN peace missions.

Prof Imtiaz Ahmed of international relations at Dhaka University said India and Pakistan have traditionally been the defining factors in South Asia, but now Bangladesh has become an important factor, thanks to its socioeconomic progress, geostrategic location and improved connectivity.

Analysts say Bangladesh was once seen as landlocked by India, but is now seen as a land, river and sea-linked country, creating opportunities not only for itself but for the entire region. A number of rails, roads and riverways that were once abandoned are now being developed to connect India's northwest to the rest of India. These connections can also facilitate connectivity to the region.

Under a new agreement, Bangladesh is going to be linked to Nepal and Bhutan via India. During Narendra Modi's visit, Dhaka also sought greater access to Indian land to be connected to the two Himalayan countries, while allowing these countries to use Bangladesh's Chattogram and Mongla ports.

Also, Dhaka is seeking hydropower trade with Nepal and Bhutan as the country seeks green growth, while also seeking coastal shipping connectivity to Sri Lanka and the Maldives for boosting trade and tourism.

Former ambassador Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's call to South Asian leaders to work hand in hand and request to India to take a leading role in that process is a significant message. Thus, she becomes a regional leader as well.

Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Bhutan and Nepal are interested in SAARC, which has been almost non-functional because of the India-Pakistan rivalry. "Although Pakistan was not invited to the event, Prime Minister Imran Khan also sent a video message. This is significant," he said.

C Raja Mohan, director of the National University of Singapore's Institute of South Asian Studies, in his article titled "50 Years After Independence, Bangladesh Bursts Into Geopolitics" published in Foreign Policy Magazine on March 25, wrote that for India, Bangladesh has in recent years emerged as its most important neighbour in the subcontinent in terms of strengthening strategic, political, and economic ties.

He said Bangladesh, which is growing faster than Pakistan, has begun to tilt the region's economic centre of gravity towards the east. That shift has been accelerated by the non-functional state of SAARC due to Pakistan's reluctance to engage with India economically.

Bangladesh has also become important because of its location.

C Raja Mohan said sitting at the top of the Bay of Bengal littoral, Bangladesh has begun to take greater interest in maritime affairs. It resolved the sea border disputes with India and Myanmar in the last decade.

"If it plays its cards right, Bangladesh could use the fast-evolving dynamic in the Indo-Pacific to strengthen its maritime capabilities. Dhaka's Indo-Pacific orientation must necessarily begin in the Bay of Bengal, which is re-emerging as a site for great power contestation between a rising China, India, Japan, and the United States."

Foreign policy experts say Bangladesh's position is not playing a zero-sum game. It has joined the China-led Belt and Road Initiative and also supports the US-led Indo-Pacific Strategy for its trade and commerce. Dhaka maintains its foreign policy -- "Friendship to all, malice to none" -- and is interested more in trade and development, not security.

"Bangladesh has maintained this policy since the Cold War era. It has not been part of any alliance. This position has actually been positive for Bangladesh," said Prof Delwar.

Prof Imtiaz Ahmed said Bangladesh needs to focus on infrastructure development, education and healthcare and improvement in professionalism in every sector -- be it bureaucracy, business or academia.

Prof Delwar said Bangladesh needs to focus on creating knowledge on the evolving issues, including diplomatic relations with different countries, trade and economics. The foreign ministry should harness the momentum.

Centre for Policy Dialogue Executive Director Dr Fahmida Khatun said trade and investment are the most important aspects that should be focused. South Asia is still the least integrated region although some level of connectivity is happening now.

"We should look into fast implementation of the connectivity projects of the region and clear all trade barriers," she said, adding that smooth connectivity will greatly help improve tourism, cultural and educational exchanges.