Billionaire philanthropist Mike Bloomberg has been at the forefront of banning E-cigarettes and vapes. Especially influencing middle to lower income economies to pass regulations that either heavily limits electronic nicotine delivery systems or bans them completely.

In Bangladesh they are funding agencies like Progga, Shimantik and few others to push this agenda forward without any economic or scientific analysis of the products or the situation. Most studies on E-cigarettes show that yes, they are harmful, but they have 95% less toxicants compared to combustible cigarettes Public Health England maintains vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking | E-cigarettes | The Guardian so for people who are severely addicted to cigarettes this has been classified as a smoking cessation tool and it has been proven to be more effective compared to any other nicotine replacement therapy. They are so effective that consumers in Argentina Life as a Criminalized Vapes Dealer in Buenos Aires (filtermag.org), India and few other countries are importing them illegally which means that their Governments are losing out on earnings which could have been generated through taxes levied upon such products What is the case against e-cigarette company Juul, and did it promote ‘vaping’ among teens? | Explained News,The Indian Express. So, the question remains why Bloomberg is funding such campaigns?

Real incentive of Foreign Investors

An interesting fact about Bloomberg is that one of his investment interests can be linked with a smoking alternative tech company Hale. Bloomberg part of aventure capital kwon as Village Global which has its interests in Hale a smoking cessation tool which is currently still in its research phase. Heavy regulations of existing electronic delivery systems could decrease the competition when Hale is eventually launched. It is to be noted that Bill Gates the founder of Gates Foundation (A big funder of anti-vaping groups) is also an investor of Village Global. Bloomberg Flavour Ban Plan - A Conflict Of Interest? - Ecigclick

Foreign Meddling in National Policies is harmful

Every nation is different. Therefore, any policy made should be considerate of their situation and culture. The policy that worked for a country with 10% of the population smoking might not be effective in countries with 40% of the population smoking. Smoking behavior and consumer trends are also quite important while making such decisions. Implementing something based on what a foreign doner feels is not only unethical but also detrimental for the development of a nation.

Previously in Philippines, Bloomberg was accused of buying off the Food and Drug Administration to implement anti-science policies related to vaping. Bloomberg and his associates were under legal scrutiny for violating laws and discriminating against the legal tobacco industry. Reports also suggest that Bloomberg Philanthropies is also implementing similar practices in Vietnam, Romania and other LMCs. Bloomberg Exposed for Foreign Meddling in Tobacco and Vaping Policy in the Philippines - Americans for Tax Reform (atr.org)

Bangladesh is headed towards its National Election at the end of 2023, in such an atmosphere having foreign bodies that have no understanding of how the countries economy works and how people are struggling amidst a global recession should not be our advisors. 

Shortsighted NGOs of Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a country where more than 30% of population above 15 are smokingBangladesh Smoking Rate 2000-2023 | MacroTrends, drastic regulations and banning electronic alternatives would only mean they will either seek cheaper or illegal cigarettes which would further deteriorate the situation. The only loser in this situation would be the government as they would lose the internal revenue generated from the tobacco industry. Street sellers would lose their jobs and with the ongoing global economic crisis this could create massive unrest in the country. Understanding the gravity of the situation the 2040 tobacco free goal was set by our Honorable Prime Minister so that we can slowly phase out from the current situation i.e., reduce smoking steadily, create alternative employment for people in this sector and ensure quit smoking tools are available and accessible to people from all walks of life.

Anti-Tobacco Groups only consulting foreign entities and select few groups for which they are unable to realize the repercussions of the policies they are suggesting.

Studies that claim Vapes have high health risks are being retracted

Alongside research on how e-cigarettes are helping people reduce smoking, anti-vaping claims with unscientific foundation are being retracted. “Cancer Prevalence in E-Cigarette Users: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional NHANES Study” published in World Journal of Oncology (Aprominent research, referenced by anti-vape communities) has recently been retracted Retraction Notice to “Cancer Prevalence in E-Cigarette Users: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional NHANES Study” | Office | World Journal of Oncology (wjon.org) and prior to that in a study published in the Journal of American Heart Association which states vapes double the chance of heart attacks has also been found to be unreliable.Vaping study retracted: Scientists want probe of UCSF tobacco research (usatoday.com)

More studies are slowly emerging that show the benefits of vaping and real life case studies are emerging from countries like UK and New Zealand where electronic nicotine delivery systems are effectively being used as quit smoking tools.

Writer: Vice President of Bangladesh Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Traders Association (BENDSTA).  

The main opposition party BNP and 36 like-minded political parties have joined forces to protest against the government. On November 15, the Election Commission announced the schedule for the 12th National Election. The BNP-led alliance then announced a tough agitation against the government by announcing a hartal-like program with continued blockades. The moment the BNP announces this program and is on the way to make the movement of the opposition party tougher, a new polarization has started in the voting politics.

The alliance led by Bangladesh Kalyan Party, one of the coalition partners of the main opposition party, has suddenly announced to go to the polls. The announcement of withdrawing from the one-phase movement for the resignation of the government and going to the elections with U- turn has given rise to new discussions in the political arena.

In a press conference at the National Press Club on Wednesday, he said that he is participating in the election without being able to join the movement with the government. However, before the election, A U -turn has been identified as a traitor by the 12-party alliance he was in.

Explaining his new position, he said that he and his party have a limit to their survival. His political incompetence at this point is that he is unable to agitate against the government. It was necessary to reassess the situation after 28th October. Will he remain silent or will he take alternative measures? He took alternative measures.

In a speech at the district office of Awami League on Wednesday, Obaidul Quader, the general secretary of Awami League, commented that the next Jatiya Sangsad election has been frozen. At this time, he said, those who thought who come who do not come. . . Flowers have started to bloom. More flowers will bloom. Hundreds of flowers will bloom until the nomination form is submitted to the Election Commission.

Obaidul Quader's statement and why the parties that are simultaneously protesting with the BNP suddenly changed sides, there are many discussions going on in the political arena. At the final stage of the movement of BNP, various types of information are available in the investigation of the reasons for the change in the position of these parties.

Political analysts said that the leaders of these political parties have a chance to win by participating in the elections. And this possibility is certainly not created just like that.

It is known that many more leaders of the alliance of BNP may also announce to participate in the elections. It is being said that many more such leaders may take U-turn with the election ahead. Besides, some leaders of the BNP may rejoin Trinamool BNP.

It is said that there will be no surprise in the election of some other political parties including the Gono Adhikar Parishad, NDP, Jagpa. Although so far these parties are saying that they will not participate in the elections. There have been hints that some of the Islamist parties may participate in the elections. Moreover, the Jatiya Party announced that it would not go to the polls for a long time and finally backed away from its position.

With elections ahead, there may be new polarization in politics in the next few days. Especially by forming the King's Party, the opposition parties can be divided. However, the BNP is not afraid of changing these leaders. BNP is moving forward with all preparations to face more difficult situations in the movement.

A new discussion is going on in the field of politics, whether BNP will finally come to the polls or not. An election commissioner said that if BNP wants to come to the polls, they will consider changing the election schedule. On the other hand, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said that Awami League has no objection if the Election Commission thinks it will change the schedule by fixing the date of the election. There is a controversy going on about this matter. It is known that this matter will also be clarified by the BNP in a couple of days.

In November morning, a group of people are enjoying tea while sitting on decorative plastic chairs in a large area at the intersection of Dhaka's highway. In a happy mood is talking happily and is counting on him to start lobbying and dashing to see who is taking the nomination in his area in the next election. They are all wealthy, expensive businessmen and politicians of this time. Standing a little beside them is another group of men in shiny uniforms guarding them carefully with official weapons.

Another group of people have been pelting stones at vehicles on the roads of the country since last night. Setting fire to the bus. To stop them, another group or a few people wearing different colored uniforms are actively riding in expensive cars, blaring sirens, throwing shiny tear gas cells, throwing bullets, sound grenades and making the surroundings dark and silent. As a result, everything good and bad has come to a standstill and there is silence all around. Traffic is stopped on the road. People go out of the house and sit with the door closed for fear of life. Only a few employees who want to save their lives are walking to the office early in the morning, some are riding in rickshaw-vans to save their jobs.

With the touch of the digital era, you no longer have to go to the market for urgent needs; you don't have to go to the bank to withdraw money. Many of them are spending idle time sitting at home with online services. Parents prevent children from going to educational institutions fearing for their safety. Teachers are teaching them urgent lessons online. It seems to the busy housewives that this hartal blockade has taken them to the time of Corona.

But the problem has grown elsewhere. Around eight o'clock in the morning, I walked across the campus to the main road. Crossed the road and ventured into a makeshift bazaar. My partner is a neighbor colleague. I often go out with him. He buys fresh vegetables and fish when he gets them. That is still his goal today. But even after nine o'clock that day, there were no customers in the shop. Some shopkeepers in the know said that there were no buyers yesterday either. So no raw material order has been placed today.

There are many hawker shops along the main road. They are sitting in a sad mood by arranging different kinds of clothes, sandal-shoes, fruits, and utensils. According to them, people are not going out on the streets because of fear. So the sale is completely closed. Stopping our sales is a kick in the stomach. As soon as the shop opened, the police came and chased, searched the goods, beat them, closed the shop and asked them to leave. Common people do not come here because of frequent police cars patrolling here. No one wants to stand here. Another hawker said angrily that there are no people on the streets and sidewalks, and their foreheads are burning due to the lack of customers. They have no other source of income. Their means of income is to shop on the pavement. If the sale is stopped like this, they will die of starvation along with their families.

Slogans saying 'Bangladesh will not lose' have been hung around. Sambar advertisements are being published in daily newspapers. In the online video, the scene of the passionate dance saying 'Bangladesh will not lose' is always appearing. So who are those ads for? How about an ad for those who lose enough money in their pockets to buy daily necessities?

Low income people have lost. However, those who never lose in anything are not losing even in a strike. They will never lose. Security personnel from all sectors of the country will provide them with all kinds of security. During the siege with them, they will continue to eat tea-biscuits or coffee-soup in expensive restaurants while sitting at the crossroads! And the majority of the people of the country will lose. They will continue to disturb the situation by pelting bricks and stones with the security forces on the street in front of the garment factories demanding a small increase in wages. Is this their destiny?

On the other hand, the ministers will sit in the seminar and speak in a relaxed manner. The country has improved a lot. A minister gave an emotional speech that day and exposed the real Gomer. He said that the purchasing power of four crore people of Bangladesh is equal to that of Europe. These 4 crore people can buy good things at affordable prices.

Recently, during the inauguration of the 18th National Furniture Fair, the Commerce Minister made such a claim. The per capita income of the people of our country is 2800 dollars. But according to one calculation, the total population of our country is 18 crores. It is nice to know that four crore people have been empowered to buy quality furniture, but the remaining fourteen crore people have not said anything about how they can buy the furniture they need.

He made this statement at a time when the common people of the country are returning home empty-handed after going to the market to buy essential items to meet their basic needs. Every day this kind of distressing news is being circulated in the media.

Only in some raw markets of Dhaka, some workers of the authority went to the market and stopped the people from showing up. There are no signs of price cuts on any product. The arrival of the camera is being heralded as a slight price cut in some markets. But when the government goes behind the scenes, the price of the market goods is again the same or higher than before. There is no problem for four million rich people. But the plight of low-income or poor people has begun. Low-income people are forced to spend their days deceiving themselves with little or no food, losing their ability to purchase daily necessities.

However, the country's most expensive food products disappear for the consumption of the rich and enter all kinds of freezers. Artificial crisis in the market for the wealthy

Low income people are losing in the cat and mouse game

In November morning, a group of people are enjoying tea while sitting on decorative plastic chairs in a large area at the intersection of Dhaka's highway. Happy mood is talking happily and is counting on him to start lobbying and dashing to get a  nomination in his area in the next election. They are all wealthy, expensive businessmen and politicians of this time. Standing a little beside them is another group of men in shiny uniforms guarding them carefully with official weapons.

Another group of people have been pelting stones at vehicles on the roads of the country since last night. Setting fire to the bus. To stop them, another group or a few people wearing different colored uniforms are actively riding in expensive cars, blaring sirens, throwing shiny tear gas cells, throwing bullets, sound grenades and making the surroundings dark and silent. As a result, everything good and bad has come to a standstill and there is silence all around. Traffic is stopped on the road. People go out of the house and sit with the door closed for fear of life. Only a few employees who want to save their lives are walking to the office early in the morning, some are riding in rickshaw-vans to save their jobs.

With the touch of the digital era, you no longer have to go to the market for urgent needs, you don't have to go to the bank to withdraw money. Many of them are spending idle time sitting at home with online services. Parents prevent children from going to educational institutions fearing for their safety. Teachers are teaching them urgent lessons online. It seems to the busy housewives that this hartal blockade has taken them to the time of Corona.

But the problem has grown elsewhere. Around eight o'clock in the morning, I walked across the campus to the main road. Crossed the road and ventured into a makeshift bazaar. My partner is a neighbor colleague. I often go out with him. He buys fresh vegetables and fish when he gets them. That is still his goal today. But even after nine o'clock that day, there were no customers in the shop. Some shopkeepers in the know said that there were no buyers yesterday either. So no raw material order has been placed today.

There are many hawker shops along the main road. They are sitting in a sad mood by arranging different kinds of clothes, sandal-shoes, fruits, and taijaspatras. According to them, people are not going out on the streets because of fear. So the sale is completely closed. Stopping our sales is a kick in the stomach. As soon as the shop opened, the police came and chased, searched the goods, beat them, closed the shop and asked them to leave. Common people do not come here because of frequent police cars patrolling here. No one wants to stand here. Another hawker said angrily that there are no people on the streets and sidewalks, and their foreheads are burning due to the lack of customers. They have no other source of income. Their means of income is to shop on the pavement. If the sale is stopped like this, they will die of starvation along with their families.

Slogans saying 'Bangladesh will not lose' have been hung around. Grand advertisements are being published in daily newspapers. In the online video, the scene of the passionate dance saying 'Bangladesh will not lose' is always appearing. So who are those ads for? How about an ad for those who lose enough money in their pockets to buy daily necessities?

Low income people have lost. However, those who never lose in anything are not losing even in a strike. They will never lose. Security personnel from all sectors of the country will provide them with all kinds of security. During the siege with them, they will continue to eat tea-biscuits or coffee-soup in expensive restaurants while sitting at the crossroads! And the majority of the people of the country will lose. They will continue to disturb the situation by pelting bricks and stones with the security forces on the street in front of the garment factories demanding a small increase in wages. Is this their destiny?

On the other hand, the ministers will sit in the seminar and speak in a relaxed manner. The country has improved a lot. A minister gave an emotional speech that day and exposed the real truth. He said that the purchasing power of four crore people of Bangladesh is equal to that of Europe. These 4 crore people can buy good things at affordable prices.

Recently, during the inauguration of the 18th National Furniture Fair, the Commerce Minister made such a claim. The per capita income of the people of our country is 2800 dollars. But according to one calculation, the total population of our country is 18 crores. It is nice to know that four crore people have been empowered to buy quality furniture, but the remaining fourteen crore people have not said anything about how they can buy the furniture they need.

He made this statement at a time when the common people of the country are returning home empty-handed after going to the market to buy essential items to meet their basic needs. Every day this kind of distressing news is being circulated in the media.

Only in some raw markets of Dhaka, some workers of the authority went to the market and stopped the people from showing up. There are no signs of price cuts on any product. The arrival of the camera is being heralded as a slight price cut in some markets. But when the government goes behind the scenes, the price of the market goods is again the same or higher than before. There is no problem for four million rich people. But the plight of low-income or poor people has begun. Low-income people are forced to spend their days deceiving themselves with little or no food, losing their ability to purchase daily necessities.

However, the country's most expensive food products disappear for the consumption of the rich and enter all kinds of freezers. Artificial crisis in the market for the wealthy tasteful appeared as a strange or curse created for worship! A week has passed after the 20-day hilsa fishing break, but the country's market is empty of hilsa. However, the news came out that Bangladeshi fresh hilsa was being sold in Kolkata market before Vaifonte. Even if the export of hilsa abroad is closed, how is it possible?

Millions of poor and low-income victims of this strange terror of commodity prices! Who will take responsibility? There is no one to speak for them in this environment. For unknown reasons, their words do not appear in the media. Such a statement from the mouth of the authorities is not only ridiculous - very cruel and shocking!

In the current commodity price terror market, the proverbs like 'King to king, Ulukhagra's life is lost' or 'King's fault to the people are suffering' are now appearing as great truths in the hypocritical politics of Bangladesh. Issues of social justice and humanitarianism are looming in the minds of low-income survivors.

Does the difficult situation that has arisen as a result get a chance to penetrate the eyes of the humanitarian leaders walking in the black glass enclosure? Or whether the black cat has captured them too is not at all understandable.

Due to the wide income disparity and purchasing power gap created by the touch of the digital age, people's sense of compassion towards people has decreased. No one cares about the death of poor people. If the big parties continue to play the cat and mouse game over the country's elections for a long time and continue to brag without respecting the opinions of others, they will not have any trouble at all. But 70-75 percent of the country's people who have lost their purchasing power will continue to suffer indescribably. In this way, will they be completely exhausted after being victims of injustice, social injustice, lack, and malnutrition? They don't want to lose either.

We all know that the culture of agitation against the rulers is not new in the region. The movement-struggle for the development of independent-sovereign Bangladesh was a core instinct of Bengalis, breaking the shackles of the military rule of neo-colonial Pakistan from the powerful colonial British rulers. Not only is it said, but it is a constant truth of history that the colonial rulers of British India played a major role in dividing the unbroken Bengal and Punjab due to the wealth of immense power to rise up against the injustice and exploitation of the inhabitants of these two provinces.

If we look at the rough picture of the authoritarian history of independent Bangladesh in front of us, what stands out is that, keeping the historical tradition intact, Bengalis are ready to build a strong resistance against the tyranny of the ruler. If we go back in history, we can find many years like 79, 71, 90, 96, during which Bengali resistance has flared up again and again. Bangladesh's political leaders-activists and protesting masses have succeeded in dismissing uniformed military rulers in the face of deprivation and dissatisfaction. And it is worth mentioning that the legends of those historic movements are still alive today and they are important leaders of major parties in the country.

The context is - Today (15 November 2023) in the evening Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal has announced the schedule for the upcoming Jatiyo Sangsad(JS) elections. According to the announced schedule, this polling will be held on Sunday, January 7, 2024. We have noticed that last October 28, 2023, BNP organized a rally with pre-announcement. However, the rally ended in violence. After this, like-minded parties including BNP-Jamaat announced programs like hartal and blockade. The schedule for the upcoming national elections was announced on Wednesday amid a blockade program by the parties.

Now the question is - BNP and like-minded parties have been working on all the demands for a long time, why was there no response from the ruling party or the government? Political observers said that the BNP or the like-minded parties could not intensify their agitation to get the demands, as intense as it can be to oust a strong government. If we look at the political programs that have taken place in the recent decade, the weaknesses of the BNP's movement program at this time will become clear.

We have heard many former and new leaders of BNP said that despite having so much public support at the grassroots, the party is mainly suffering from the weakness of leadership and not being able to take the right program at the right time. Some of them said that most of the current top leadership of BNP has not prioritized the field movement as it has become dependent on foreign countries.

In the last two days, we have seen a letter from the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs urging political parties to engage in dialogue. But we have seen in the past, what is the result of the dialogue discussed by BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiya with Awami League General Secretary Abdul Jalil! There seems to be no reason why the Awami League-led government would sit in dialogue with the BNP and give good news for the country and the nation.

A famous quote by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, the great son of freedom fighters during the colonial era, seems very relevant here. He said, 'Freedom is not given, it is taken' meaning freedom does not come; it has to be taken away. In view of the situation, it can be said unequivocally that the top leadership of BNP has failed to streamline their movement program in the situation of taking away the demands.

We recently noticed that around the 'Two plus Two' ministerial level meeting of India and the United States held in New Delhi, there was a lot of speculation about the two friendly countries reaching a common position in the context of the upcoming elections in Bangladesh. But what did we see? India ruled out interference in the election of its long-time friend Bangladesh as an internal issue. Political and diplomatic analysts are indirectly describing the matter as a positive sign for the government, even if they do not openly support the current rulers. In the past few days, we have seen some organizations that recognize the US hegemony expressing concern over the prevailing situation in Bangladesh on the issue of 'democracy and human rights'. Ambassador of the country appointed in Dhaka Peter De Haas we have yet to see the other countries of the world or their diplomats act in a way other than a single burst of laughter. Does that mean other countries in the world except the United States have a different opinion on this? Or trying to observe the situation with the strategy of silence?

If we try to look deeper before going to find these answers, we can find some links with it! As we can see in the assessment of geopolitical analysts in recent weeks and months, basically the three superpowers have direct and indirect watchful eyes and policy positions around Bangladesh. It is not like that. It is for geo-political interests that the countries have been making this position known around Bangladesh. India's historical and strategic importance to the three-dimensional interests of superpowers Russia, China and the United States has become clear as day. In such a reality, many are blaming the big mistake of the top leaders of the party in the idea that the result of BNP or like-minded parties' dependence on the United States may not lead to victory.

But opposition political parties will such a failure of the bullet hasten the so-called 'absolute victory' of the rulers? Many analysts said that such an idea is not reasonable. Despite the progress of government development, ordinary people have more criteria to evaluate the government. The ongoing global recession and the Russia-Ukraine war, the Palestine-Israel war have hit the economy long ago in countries like Bangladesh. But the matter of the situation is that the government has miserably failed to do that if the common people could get some relief even in this situation if they could ensure the activism and good governance internally.

The constant rise in commodity prices has left the common man breathless. We can see in the media news that the protests are gradually foaming in the minds of the people due to the shock of the collapse of the financial institutions due to good governance and corruption in the sector. On the other hand, the displeasure of the common people towards the leaders of the ruling parties, organs and allied organizations is also expressed quite strongly. Apart from this, the infighting of the ruling party from the grassroots to the center is often revealed. Despite all this, the anti-government movements have floundered as a better alternative has not emerged, and it appears that they have not seen success even at the end of announcing the schedule of national elections.

Current Perspective: Two plus two INDO-US Ministerial dialogues

The two plus two talks between India and US were held successfully on 10 November at Sushma Swaraj Bhavan, New Delhi. The US delegation was led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin. The Indian side was External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The talks were substantive and the agenda covered strategic partnership, elevating defence ties and moving forward on space, technology, future logistics and people to people contacts. They also exchanged perspectives on Indo-Pacific, South Asia, West Asia and the Ukraine conflict. It is pertinent to note that after the dialogue there was Press Conference on afternoon of November 10. During the event it was clarified that India had made the view on Bangladesh very clear. India had no place to comment on the policies of any third country. Election of Bangladesh is their internal matter. The people of that country will decide their own future. India remains a committed friend to Bangladesh.

Reality Check

It is almost 52 years and the country is developing at a steady pace. The current Government is in the post since 2009 and mentions India as a trusted friend and hoped that the relations will deepen further.They stood by India and stopped operations of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) from Bangladesh. Anup Chetia, a top leader of the militant group ULFA who had fled India about 28 years ago was handed over to India in November 2015. They deported Chetia unconditionally. The back bone of the ULFA movement was broken leading to diminishing insurgency in Assam. The Assam Government has expressed the hope that the ongoing discussions with the pro-talk’s faction of the ULFA will lead to a peace agreement shortly.

The biggest issue which has been resolved pertains to the exchange of border enclaves. These are pockets of land embedded entirely in the foreign territory of its neighbour, making it difficult for the country to exercise administrative control for about seventy years. In some cases, issues were complicated with existence of counter enclaves, where in the enclave of Bangladesh was trapped into India. The 2015 Land Boundary Agreement served an important role in the exchange of 111 enclaves (17160.63 acres) from India to Bangladesh and reciprocally the latter transferred 51 enclaves (7110.02 acres) to India. Further the choice of citizenship was offered by states to enclave residents. The Land Boundary Agreement also demarcated the boundary between India and Bangladesh in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, Assam and Meghalaya.

The next aspect is the resolution of the Maritime Dispute with India. A United Nations (UN) tribunal gave a ruling in favour of Bangladesh regarding the maritime dispute. The decision was taken by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) based at The Hague in Netherlands. The conflict was largely over delimitation of the territorial sea. India wanted the determination of the boundary on equidistance method which means a nation’s maritime boundaries should conform to a median line equidistant from the shores of neighbouring nation states, Bangladesh was pressing for a solution that could be reached by keeping in focus all relevant circumstances. It is creditable that both countries have accepted the verdict. As per the award, Bangladesh has been given four-fifth of the total disputed area of 25,602 sq Km in the Bay of Bengal.

Economically, the country is progressing smoothly. This is creditable considering that Pakistan and Sri Lanka are facing stiff economic challenges. GDP of Bangladesh is US $ 420.52 billion. In the last decade it is a country which has developed considerably and is on the higher growth trajectory with a per capita income of $ 2,687 in June 2022.The country is expected to grow by 5.3% in the Financial Year 2023. Like all countries the country is impacted by the slow global growth following the war in Ukraine. The Government is doing its best to control inflation and has embarked on reform programs as precautionary measures.It would be interesting to mention the construction of the Padma Bridge as a great economic feat undertaken by Bangladesh.

Padma Bridge

Bangladesh is a riverine country and Sheikh Hasina with the help of all organs of the Government including security agencies completed the crucial Padma Bridge. It is way back in 1971 that the first feasibility report of the bridge was done to link Faridpur with Dacca. In order to construct this road, it was essential to construct a bridge over the River Padma. Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, the first President of Bangladesh announced the construction but due to his assassination the same could not be implemented. The World Bank initially agreed to fund the project but later withdrew due to corruption. Ultimately the current Government took a courageous decision to fund the project. The Engineering Support and Safety team was provided by the Bangladesh Army in consonance with other agencies.

It is to the credit of the Prime Minister who with the complete backing of the Bangladesh Army and all Government undertook the project. A visit to the project is an engineering marvel that would ensure higher economic growth. The steel truss bridge carries a four-lane highway on the upper level and a single-track railway line. It connects Kolkata to Dacca both by road and rail. Soon it would be possible to reach from Kolkata to Dacca in five hours. At the point of the bridge, it connects Louhajang Upazila of Munshiganj and Faridpur. The bridge consists of 41 sections, each 150.12m long and 22 m wide with a total length of 6.15 Km. it is the longest bridge in Bangladesh. It is the deepest bridge in the world, with piles installed as deep as 127 m. The construction of the bridge was considered to be especially challenging due to the width and depth of the Padma River.

The bridge is to boost the GDP of Bangladesh by as much as 1.23 percent. Bangladesh will receive benefits worth more than $ 10 billion which is three and half times more than the construction cost. Population density and wages in the southern districts connected by the Padma Bridge to Dhaka City will increase significantly and the bridge will help to lessen the impact of sea level rise in the region. This will possibly witness a greater influx of population to the Northern regions gradually. Ultimately the bridge will bring Kolkata and Dacca closer which would further intensify relations.

Economy

The economy of Bangladesh is a major developing market economy. As the second largest economy in South Asia, Bangladesh economy is the 37th largest in the World in nominal terms and 25th largest by purchasing power parity. The country is a member of South Asian Free Trade Area and the World Trade Organisation. Bangladesh is one of the fastest growing economies in the World. Modern Bangladesh embarked on economic reforms in the late 1970s which promoted free markets and foreign direct investment. GDP of Bangladesh is about $ 420.52 billion. The per capita income is $ 2740 and the Services sector occupies about 53.4 %. The country has exports of $ 52 billion. Garments form the major part of exports and it is interesting to note that neither cotton nor the machines for these garments is indigenous.

It is imported and the country produces world class garments. The main export partners are United States 15%, Germany 14%, United Kingdom 8 %, Spain 7% and France 7%. The country imports amount to $85 billion- figures of 2021. 31% of the imports are from China, 15 % from India and 5% from Singapore. The imports are mainly refined petroleum, cotton, natural gas, scrap iron and wheat. As per the Asian Development Bank, (ADB) GDP growth in 2022 despite COVID was 7.1%. Currently growth is dampened by the economic slowdown and special operations launched by Russia in Ukraine. ADB is responding to Bangladesh’s need for greater climate resilience, quality education, improved infrastructure and skills development to realise the country’s goal of becoming an upper middle-income country by 2031.

Armed Forces

Armed Forces of Bangladesh consists of three uniformed military services. They are the Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy and the Bangladesh Air Force. They are responsible to safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bangladesh by protecting land, maritime, air space and national cohesion against threats which may be internal or external. They also play a role in disaster management and maintaining peace in Chittagong hill tracks. They play a key role in nation building activities. Currently members of the Armed Forces are deployed in nine counties as peace keepers under the United Nations. It is indeed creditable that Bangladesh is the country that provides the largest peacekeepers to the United Nations.

Military Diplomacy: India-Bangladesh

India borders Bangladesh on three sides and was the first country to accord diplomatic recognition to the country. Relations are extremely close in all dimensions ranging from trade, transport, culture, connectivity and people to people contacts. However, there is a need to intensify relations in the area of Military Diplomacy. After all Bangladesh was created as a result of joint cooperation of the Indian Armed Forces (referred a Mitra Bahini) and Mukti Bahini.

Strategic relations exist between the two-Armed Forces. Currently there is reasonable interaction at the top level, what is needed is enhanced cooperation at the middle and junior level. Some of these could be :-

• Understanding Bangladesh’s strategic need and this could be primarily handling Rohingya refugees coming from Myanmar. The Indian Armed Forces could interact, advise and also learn how to solve the problem.

• Bulk of Bangladesh equipment is of Chinese origin. Closer interaction would lead to India understanding Bangladesh’s need and India could assist them with equipment which they need. We have sold our BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missiles to Philippines, Pinaka Multiple Launch Rocket System to Armenia and very recently gifted a Missile Corvette to Vietnam. It would be a win-win situation for both countries.

• Joint exercising of troops from the Army, Navy and Air Force of both countries with a greater frequency.

• Marching contingents taking part in Republic Day parade and Victory Day (Bijoy Dibosh) celebrations in Bangladesh.

• Logistics Agreement to be signed for easy replenishment of Armed Forces of both countries. Military personnel of Bangladesh to be provided medical treatment in our Military Hospitals.

• Posting of instructors in training establishments.

• Disaster Management particularly Maritime Search and Rescue cooperation and joint exercises should be undertaken by the Navies of two countries.

• Training of specialists like pilots and submariners are skills which Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy possess and the same could be used to optimise skills of Bangladeshi pilots and submariners.

All these aspects mentioned above would intensify military cooperation between two friendly neighbours. Military diplomacy enables two countries to enhance cohesiveness between their Armed Forces and cooperation between the two countries. Strategic cooperation would automatically lead to better understanding and resolution of problems.

Way Forward

Bangladesh is a dear friend of India. Their principal language is Bengali which is spoken by people in India in the state of West Bengal and Tripura. Culturally they have deep links with our country. Over the years we have militarily become closer to each other and currently there is a need to step up this relationship to the next level. We can sit down and solve problems of water sharing and connectivity. It is amazing that the High Commission of India in Dhaka issues 15,000 visas in one day. Maybe we need a better system. The diesel pipe line from India is working well. Power connectivity from Arunachal must be routed through Bangladesh and we must use the deep-sea port of Matarbari near Cox’s Bazar for our goods of the Eastern region. This would further enhance the global trade.

Elections are due in January 2024. The current Government is a great friend of India. They should be allowed to conduct the next elections in a free and fair manner with no interference. People are sensible and will not vote for radical elements. The opposition possibly supports radical ideas and is pro-China. People of Bangladesh love India and they would elect a good Government left to themselves. This will assist in development of both countries and permit peace to prevail in this region. 

Major General (Retired) Dr. PK Chakraborty is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Land Warfare Studies, Delhi. He is an analyst of geopolitics and military affairs. Dr. Chakraborty also associated with projects and articles of the Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi.