New Delhi: diplomatic ties between India and Bangladesh may have bathed the nose since the expulsion of Sheikh Hasina last year, but the military relationship continues as before. The armed of the two countries have just concluded a combat exercise and a patrol coordinated in the Bengal Bay this week.
The ‘Bongosagagar’ bilateral exercise, in which the Indian destroyer Ins Ranvir and the Bangladesh Bns Abu Ubidah, facilitated the “collaborative responses to the shared maritime challenges” and an improved interoperability between the two armed, said an officer.
The latest edition of the annual exercise, which began in 2019, implied a range of complex operations that cover surface shots, tactical maneuvers, ongoing replacement, communication drills and VBSS operations (visit, table, search and seizure).
“The exercise provided a wonderful opportunity for both armed to develop closer links in tactical planning, coordination and exchange of information to undertake perfect maritime operations,” said the official.
“The improved synergy of operations between the two armed is a testimony of the shared commitment to counteract global security challenges to improve safety and stability in the region,” he added.
India has constantly intensified military ties with Bangladesh, which incidentally acquired its first Diesel-Electric submarines in China a few years ago, to counteract Beijing’s strategic incursions in the country. Around 50-60 Bangladesh Army officers, for example, attend specialized courses in Indian military establishments every year.
The general manager of the Army, Urdendra Dwivedi, recently said that India and Bangladesh are considered “strategically important” neighbors and any type of “animosity” between the two countries is not interested in either of them. The relationship between the two military is “very strong” and “we can exchange notes when we want,” he said.
However, Gen Dwivedi had expressed “concern” about reports that a delegation of the Pak-Isi army recently visited areas in Bangladesh near the “Chicken neck” or the Siliguri corridor in Western Bengala.
“He had used the word epicenter of terrorism for a particular country (Pakistan). Now those compatriots, if they go anywhere else and are our neighbor, as far as I’m concerned, I should worry about that. That they should not be able to use that land to send terrorists to India, ”he said.
