Author : Gitanjali Sinha Roy, Fifty years ago, India was a major part of the Bangladesh War of Liberation on 1971 as it helped the then, East Pakistan turn into a new country, Bangladesh and this changed the dynamics of South Asia forever. With the birth of Bangladesh, India signed a 25-year ‘Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation.’ Today, India and Bangladesh share several civilizational links, diplomatic, economic and security ties which have further resulted in stronger bilateral relations between the two countries in the present times. For India, Bangladesh holds a place of great importance as it is an immediate neighbour and a valuable pillar of India’s ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’. In the past, the Land Boundary Agreement was resolved in 2015 where land was swapped between India and Bangladesh and the people were allowed to choose their choice of citizenship either Indian or Bangladeshi. This was a major diplomatic win-win situation for both the countries. In 2017, a virtual summit was held which focused on more connectivity and high-impact infrastructure projects and mechanism to oversee projects under the concessional Lines of Credits (LoCs) of $10 billion from India.[i] Bangladesh agreed to allow the movement of goods to and from India via its Chattogram and Mongla ports which would help India’s Northeast.[ii] They also agreed upon the use of the Bangladesh’s Feni river water for drinking purpose in Tripura.[iii] Both the countries have agreed to exchange, share and inform to prepare a framework on the sharing agreements for six rivers like Manu, Muhuri, Khowai and Gomati rivers in Tripura, Dudhkumar river from West Bengal and Dharla river from Bangladesh.[iv] India and Bangladesh have agreed under a Protocol of the Inland Water Transit and Trade to work on the Daudkanti (Bangladesh) and Sonamura (Tripura) inland water trade route.[v] The two nations have also come to a consensus on lifting restrictions on the entry and exit from the land ports in India for Bangladeshi citizens with valid documents.[vi] 50^th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations The year 2021 marks the 50^th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh. In March 2021, Prime Minister Modi visited Bangladesh and this was the first foreign visit that Prime Minister Modi had made since the outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic. During this visit, Prime Minister Modi visited the National Martyrs Memorial and paid homage to all those who lost their lives in the 1971 Bangladesh War of Independence and later, he joined the golden jubilee celebrations of Bangladesh’s independence and birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.[vii] Further, during this visit, five MoUs were signed including the MoU on Cooperation in the field of Disaster Management, Resilience and Mitigation, the MoU between Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC) and the National Cadet Corps of India (INCC), the MoU on the Establishment of a Framework of Cooperation in the Areas of Trade Remedial Measures between Bangladesh and India, Tripartite MoU on Supply of ICT Equipment, Courseware and Reference Books and Training for Bangladesh-Bharat Digital Service and Employment Training (BDSET) Centre and the Tripartite MoU for the Establishment of Sports Facilities at Rajshahi College Field and Surrounding Areas.[viii] Further, Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Hasina inaugurated several projects like the release of the India-Bangladesh Friendship stamps to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties and laid the foundation stone for a memorial at Ashuganj, Brahmanbaria to honour the Martyrs of the Indian Armed Forces in 1971.[ix] They further laid the foundation stone for the Rooppur Power Evacuation Project, foundation stone in five packages like Amin Bazar-Kaliakoir, Rooppur-Dhaka, Rooppur-Gopalganj, Rooppur-Dhamraj and Rooppur-Bogra. The Border Haats were also inaugurated at several locations such as Nalikata (India)-Saydabad (Bangladesh), Ryngku (India)-Bagan Bari (Bangladesh) and Bholagunj (India)-Bholagunj (Bangladesh).[x] They also launched a passenger train service ‘Mitali Express’ covering Dhaka, New Jalpaiguri-Dhaka route through Chilahati-Haldibari rail link.[xi] A historic road link called Shadhinota Shorok between Mujibnagar and Nadia was launched. India assured Bangladesh that they will make available vaccines and would also initiate a capacity building course for medical professional in Bangla language.[xii] India also organized events on ‘Mujib Borsho’, the birth centenary of Bangladesh’s founder president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and also commemorated a postal stamp for the same. Shyam Benegal, an Indian Director has also commenced filming a biopic on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Recently, President of India, H.E. Ram Nath Kovind paid a visit to Bangladesh for three days, i.e., 15 December to 17 December 2021 to attend the 50^th Vijay Diwas celebrations in Bangladesh. The Indian President paid a homage to the Martyrs of the Liberation War at the National Martyrs Memorial at Savar and also paid his respects to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members at the Bangabandhan Memorial Museum.[xiii] President Kovind also attended the Victory Day parade in Dhaka as the Guest of Honour and a 122-member tri-service contingent of the Indian Armed Forces also participated.[xiv] Further, in honour of the brave sacrifices made by the Indian Armed Forces during the 1971 Liberation War, Wing Commander T. Asha Jyotiramai performed a para jump unfurling the flag of the Indian tri-services along with the para troopers from the Bangladesh Armed Forces at the Victory Parade in Dhaka.[xv] President Kovind also inaugurated the newly reconstructed Sree Sree Ramna Kali Mandir in Dhaka which was destroyed in March 1971 by the Pakistani Forces.[xvi] During this visit, several key announcements were made like the gifting of the Bangabandhu-Bapu Digital Exhibition to the Liberation War Museum in Dhaka, announcement of first occupant of the Bangabandhu Chair at the University of Delhi, extension of the Nutan India Bangladesh Maitree Muktijoddha Sontan Scholarship Scheme for a period of five years and a replica of the 1971-era MiG-21 aircraft was handed over by President of India to the President of Bangladesh.[xvii] India and Bangladesh have over the years developed a strong bond of friendship and trust, and the last 50 years have been peaceful. The lesson learned from the 1971 Liberation War is that India is a trustworthy country and a friend that Bangladesh can always bank on. Further, Bangladesh and India’s interconnectivity through various connectivity projects paves the way for greater reasons to strengthen ‘India’s Neighbourhood Policy’ and ‘Act East Policy’ with Bangladesh. Due to historical and civilizational linkages, the people are also interconnected which makes this relationship even closer. Challenges faced by India-Bangladesh The Teesta water issue still remains a major problem as there have been continuous protests by the West Bengal Government. As per the National Register of Citizens about 1.9 million people have been left out of Assam and are being labelled as illegal migrants from Bangladesh, and Bangladesh has maintained a firm stance that no migrants have travelled to Assam during 1971.The Rohingya issue is a major issue for Bangladesh and more than a million of the Rohingyas are fleeing persecution and so, Bangladesh faces an issue of providing shelter and food to them. China’s economic footprint in Bangladesh has been growing as it is also dependent on China’s military hardware. India has been actively approving Line of Credit of $7.362 billion to Bangladesh but due to red tapism, it has been taking time to be disbursed. Radicalisation is another issue. India faces threat from several extremists’ groups like Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh. Way Forward India needs to look at more ways to deepen its ties with Bangladesh especially keeping in mind, the shifting nature of geopolitics and geoeconomics in South Asia. India needs to find a fine balance in respecting Bangladesh’s economic growth while maintaining its economic progress. India and Bangladesh have more or less agreed on most issues and this stability must be maintained. Important issues like the Teesta river issue and the Rohingya issue needs to be dealt with carefully by India and India must make sure it doesn’t offend Bangladesh on these issues. Further, there is a need to work on a better way to deal with the deportation of the illegal migrants. Illegal trading, trafficking and cattle smuggling must also be watched especially with respect to narcotics. This can be curbed by joint patrol systems in the Northeast India region. China factor is also a major concern for India and so, Bangladesh must also understand India’s concerns and not fall for China’s debt trap policy like Sri Lanka. Bangladesh must maintain itself as a democracy and not fall into military rule in order to have peace, security and stability in the region of South Asia. India and Bangladesh must continue to work in the regional organisations like SAARC, BIMSTEC and BBIN and help each other in COVID-19 related matters. Thereby, India and Bangladesh need to work on a multifaceted bilateral cooperation in the domains of trade and commerce, connectivity, energy and power, border security and management, water resources, defence and exchanges between people.     END NOTES [i]  Haider, Suhasini and Kallol Bhattacharjee.(2020). “Modi-Hasina summit to highlight infrastructure, connectivity projects”, the Hindu,13 December 2020. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/modi-hasina-summit-to-highlight-infrastructure-connectivity-projects/article33321569.ece [ii] Ibid. [iii] Ibid. [iv] PIB.(2021). “Joint Statement issued on the occasion of the visit of Prime Minister of India to Bangladesh”, 27 March 2021. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1708132 [v] Ibid. [vi] Ibid. [vii] Mohan, Geeta.(2021). “Bangladesh all set to welcome PM Modi for Golden Jubilee celebrations”, India, Today, 25 March 2021. https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/pm-narendra-modi-bangladesh-visit-sheikh-hasina-1783366-2021-03-25 [viii] PIB.(2021). “Joint Statement issued on the occasion of the visit of Prime Minister of India to Bangladesh”, 27 March 2021. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1708132 [ix] Ibid. [x] PIB.(2021). “Joint Statement issued on the occasion of the visit of Prime Minister of India to Bangladesh”, 27 March 2021. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1708132 [xii] Ibid. [xiii] Ministry of External Affairs.(2021). “State Visit of the President of India to Bangladesh (December 15-17, 2021)”, December 17, 2021. http://mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/34690/State+Visit+of+the+President+of+India+to+Bangladesh+December+1517+2021 [xiv] Ibid. [xv] Ibid. [xvi] Ministry of External Affairs.(2021). “State Visit of the President of India to Bangladesh (December 15-17, 2021)”, December 17, 2021. http://mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/34690/State+Visit+of+the+President+of+India+to+Bangladesh+December+1517+2021 [xvii] Ibid.   Gitanjali Sinha Roy is a Research Assistant at the Centre for Strategic Studies and Simulation (CS3), United Service Institution of India (USI), New Delhi, India. Previously, she worked at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), New Delhi, India as Research Assistant. Her area of interest is mainly India-Japan foreign and security policy. Article uploaded: 22-12-2021. Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the organisation that he/she belongs to or of the USI of India.