Awami League Govt owes credible explanation over RAW’s ‘intense spy game’
THE Times of India report on Tuesday, on the ‘intense spy game’ by the Research and Analysis Wing, whereby the Indian external intelligence service ‘managed to spirit away… without leaving footprints’ an agent of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence, supposedly one of India’s ‘biggest tormentors’, after he had been detained by the immigration police at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, could raise suspicion that Dhaka may have allowed New Delhi a freehand to trample Bangladesh’s sovereignty at will.
Suffice to say, the claim by the state minister for home affairs of the Awami League-led government that he was not aware of any such incident, as reported in New Age on Wednesday, only deepens such suspicion, instead of dispelling it, and raises yet more disturbing questions. For example, does the Indian spy agency no longer feel the compulsion or compunction to act within the universally accepted norms of espionage? Or, does it have the clearance of the highest levels of the Bangladesh government to carry out such covert actions?
Let there be no doubt whatsoever that if the ISI operative in question has done what the Times of India report says he has, he deserves to be arrested, probed, prosecuted and punished. By trying to forge his passport and use Bangladesh as a conduit, he has indeed tampered with the law — both national and international. However, Bangladesh, and Bangladesh alone, reserves the right to probe, prosecute and punish him. If the Times of India report is accurate, Bangladesh looks to have surrendered such right to India. The question is why the AL-led government feels the compulsion to bend backward and allow New Delhi to impinge on Bangladesh’s sovereignty.
Of course, Bangladesh needs to build and maintain sound bilateral relations with all its neighbours, especially India, given its geographical proximity. However, such relations need to be based on mutual respect and benefit. Regrettably, however, New Delhi has been anything but committed to reciprocity in its dealings with Dhaka. Take, for example, its sustained refusal to enter into an agreement on fair sharing of the Teesta water. On the contrary, it has continued with its unilateral withdrawal in upstream, causing virtual desertification of Bangladesh’s north. According to a report published in New Age on Monday, quoting officials, India’s withdrawal of the Teesta water up in the upstream, forcing farmers in three northern districts to spend 15 times more on irrigation for boro cultivation.
The official estimate is, not surprisingly, less than half of that of a recent study, which says the cost has increased 31 times this year. Similar refusal has marked India’s dealing with Bangladesh’s legitimate concerns, e.g. killing of its nationals on the border, non- and para-tariff barrier to its products, and increasing trade imbalance.
In any case, the incumbents owe the people a credible explanation about the reported detention of an ISI agent in Dhaka airport and his handover to RAW by the immigration police. Summary denial by the state minister for home affairs, one must add, does not constitute an explanation.
Govt owes credible explanation over RAW’s ‘intense spy game’
THE Times of India report on Tuesday, on the ‘intense spy game’ by the Research and Analysis Wing, whereby the Indian external intelligence service ‘managed to spirit away… without leaving footprints’ an agent of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence, supposedly one of India’s ‘biggest tormentors’, after he had been detained by the immigration police at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, could raise suspicion that Dhaka may have allowed New Delhi a freehand to trample Bangladesh’s sovereignty at will.
Suffice to say, the claim by the state minister for home affairs of the Awami League-led government that he was not aware of any such incident, as reported in New Age on Wednesday, only deepens such suspicion, instead of dispelling it, and raises yet more disturbing questions. For example, does the Indian spy agency no longer feel the compulsion or compunction to act within the universally accepted norms of espionage? Or, does it have the clearance of the highest levels of the Bangladesh government to carry out such covert actions?
Let there be no doubt whatsoever that if the ISI operative in question has done what the Times of India report says he has, he deserves to be arrested, probed, prosecuted and punished. By trying to forge his passport and use Bangladesh as a conduit, he has indeed tampered with the law — both national and international. However, Bangladesh, and Bangladesh alone, reserves the right to probe, prosecute and punish him. If the Times of India report is accurate, Bangladesh looks to have surrendered such right to India. The question is why the AL-led government feels the compulsion to bend backward and allow New Delhi to impinge on Bangladesh’s sovereignty.
Of course, Bangladesh needs to build and maintain sound bilateral relations with all its neighbours, especially India, given its geographical proximity. However, such relations need to be based on mutual respect and benefit. Regrettably, however, New Delhi has been anything but committed to reciprocity in its dealings with Dhaka. Take, for example, its sustained refusal to enter into an agreement on fair sharing of the Teesta water. On the contrary, it has continued with its unilateral withdrawal in upstream, causing virtual desertification of Bangladesh’s north. According to a report published in New Age on Monday, quoting officials, India’s withdrawal of the Teesta water up in the upstream, forcing farmers in three northern districts to spend 15 times more on irrigation for boro cultivation.
The official estimate is, not surprisingly, less than half of that of a recent study, which says the cost has increased 31 times this year. Similar refusal has marked India’s dealing with Bangladesh’s legitimate concerns, e.g. killing of its nationals on the border, non- and para-tariff barrier to its products, and increasing trade imbalance.
In any case, the incumbents owe the people a credible explanation about the reported detention of an ISI agent in Dhaka airport and his handover to RAW by the immigration police. Summary denial by the state minister for home affairs, one must add, does not constitute an explanation.
Govt owes credible explanation over RAW’s ‘intense spy game’
