India-Bangladesh Ties: The Army Chief of Bangladesh General Waker-Uz-Zaman has said the country uses “lot of weapons” from China, including their Air Force and Navy as Beijing is considered as a “partner for development” while their relationship with India is that of “give and take”.
“We use a lot of weapons from China. The air force uses weapons from China too. So does the navy. Their weapons are comparatively inexpensive,” the Army Chief told Prothom Alo, a leading national daily of Bangladesh, in an interview.
He said as Bangladesh follows a foreign policy of “friendship towards all and malice towards none” it will continue to “maintain a balance” when it comes to China and defence cooperation with Beijing.
"We have an excellent foreign policy of friendship towards all, malice towards none. We must maintain a balance as we go ahead. China is a partner in our development. They have investment in Bangladesh. So, China is very important to us,” he said.
On the relationship with India, he said, “This is a give-and-take relationship. This must be based on fairness.”
“India is an important neighbour. We are dependent on India in many ways. And India is getting facilities from us too,” the Bangladeshi Army Chief added. He also said, “A large number of their people are working in Bangladesh, formally and informally. Many people go for medical treatment to India from here. We buy a lot of goods from them. So India has a lot of interest in Bangladesh's stability…The people in no way should feel India is dominating over us, which goes against our interests. People should not feel this in any way.”
The General also said when it comes to providing security and stability to India’s northeast region, Bangladesh will “not do anything with our neighbour that goes against their strategic interests.” “At the same time, we will expect that our neighbour does nothing that is contrary to our interests. When we look after their interests, they will look after our interests with equal importance,” he highlighted.
Pointing towards the controversial issue of border killings, the Army Chief said India should ensure it will “not not kill our people along the borders. We will get our fair share of water. There is no problem with this. Let the relations be on equal footing.
He also pointed out that when it comes to the security situation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the Bangladesh armed forces will ensure that no unrest will be created. On Myanmar he said, stability along the border “will not be disrupted”.
'People Want Good Election'
On the contentious issue of the Bangladesh interim government calling for general elections in the country, Gen. Waker-Uz-Zaman said while the main objective of the interim government under Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus is to hold “fair, peaceful and festive election” it needs to be given time.
"The chief advisor has given a timeframe. That is the correct time. We will extend all cooperation to the interim government to implement the election outline … We are wholly by the side of the government. We will try to support the chief advisor in any way that he wants my or our help. Even if this is inconvenient and the troops face temporary inconvenience, we will do this in the interests of the country, the nation. We are ready to make any sacrifices in the interests of the nation, the country and the people of the country,” he said.
Last month, in his address to the nation, Yunus said Bangladesh’s national elections could be held between late 2025 and early 2026, depending on some of the crucial reforms the interim government has undertaken.