By Afshain Afzal

As the end of August is approaching, India is all set to make 5^th, 6^th and 7^th September 2022, the beginning of a new history. As per the sources in Indian Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, as a pre Bangladeshi Prime Minister three-day official visit to India a meeting is scheduled between India and Bangladesh on 25^th August, which will discuss water-sharing treaties of the Teesta River as well as number of other rivers will be touched upon to refresh the memories of earlier meetings but New Delhi has no plans to go for an all out Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) or commitments. He claimed that Bangladesh has lost its rights as International Law for transboundary waters gives right to Indian West Bengal. He added that India has not signed United Nations Watercourses Convention and Bangladesh has no legal claim on Indian rivers waters. 

The Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid is suspicion over the Indian moves especially unwarranted silence over expected water sharing agreements but cannot pronounce this Indian stubborn act as “Water disputes between India and Bangladesh”. The Bangladeshi authorities are quite clear that 25^th August minister-level meeting is an eyewash so that the 6^th September-show of meeting between Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian counterpart Prime Minister Narandra Modi does not get de-tracked. If Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fails to achieve any understanding over water sharing, she may face difficulty in forthcoming elections but Indian Prime Minister has given its intelligence estimates that Sheikh Hasina Wajid would have clear win due to Indian agencies backing. One wonders it can be other way around and in such a case who would repay the long list of India defence and security armament and equipment, India is trying to sell Bangladesh.

If we recall, the 7th Meeting of the Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) was held in New Delhi on 19 June 2022, in which Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen participated. The main agenda was to cement agreements for expanding connectivity in the road, rail, inland waterways, ports, joint border management, defence and security and culture as well as people-to-people links. So far all is good but why New Delhi is dragging the Water Resources Accord and denying the Bangladeshi rights on water courses.

Another senior officer from Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on the condition of anonymity. “India and Bangladesh signed numerous understandings on water courses.  Mainly to create access of Indians from West Bengal and Bangladeshi  refugees Hindus inside Bangladesh. He said the water disputes between India and Bangladesh have been resolved otherwise Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT) could not be signed in May 2020, New Delhi intend to establish people to people contacts between Bangladesh and India, especially Hindus of bordering states including Agartalla for bilateral and regional trade.

There is no doubt that 25^th August meeting would bring a hope for the Bangladeshi government and people of Bangladesh. With this hope, Dhaka would refrain from discussing the issue before the Indian leadership and the Indian press during three-day visit to India in September 2022, meetings between the two Prime Ministers is taking place. However, many analysts are of the opinion that India is playing smart to put Bangladesh under the heap of external debts, leading to temporary  gains but serious repercussions in the long term. There are are reports that soon India would place its Navy in Bay of Bengal, using Bangladeshi ports in the name of maritime security and border management.