From: sahmed@occs.cs.oberlin.edu (Saif Ahmed)
Subject: Re: Victory Day in Bangladesh (what about India?)
Organization: Oberlin College Computer Science
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 17:07:07 GMT
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In article <1h410vINN1k9@hsc.usc.edu> banerjee@hsc.usc.edu (Samit Banerjee) writes:

>While we are on the subject, it might be worthwhile to add some figures
>so that the nature of the help rendered can be put in perspective:

>1. 10,000 Indian soldiers were killed and more than twice that many injured.

Can you please cite your source for the figures? 10,000 armed men
seems a bit much for a 2 week engagement.

>2. The GOI spent close to a million dollars on the war effort alone, without
>taking into account the money needed to run the refugee camps. Even considering
>a modest 7% inflation rate over a period of 20 years, the figure comes
>close to 150 million dollars, by today's standards.

Wouldn't they have spent the money anyways, They were at war with
Pakistan on the other front. The war in the east was merely an
extension of that war and not a war started and fought for the love of
the people of Bangladesh. It that were the case they would have
marched their armies into Bangladesh in March.
Their help in maintaining refugee camps are much appreciated as are
their supply of arms. But to say that India got the short end of the
stick for their support is being quite unfair.

>3.  Money spent on housing refugees, most of whom went onto become
>de-facto Indian citizens. Conservative estimates put this figure at around
>100 million dollars ( 1984 GOI Report on the Dandakaryanya project presented
>to the Lok Sabha).

They have??? The pre 1971 immigrants haven't become Indian citizens
yet (Operation push back) despite the fact that they have Indian
papers. How do you deduce that the refugees have become citizens.

>Now lets see what the payback on our "investment" was in chronological order:

>1.  Mujibur Rahaman and his family killed on Independence Day, August 15,
>1974 by Major Dalim using a Indian built Vijayantha tank (T-55 series) and 
>Indian Army issued machine guns.

Aside from the fact that India managed to sell some weapons (needless
to say for a profit), I don't see how this would have anything to do
with India at all. Unless India wants to go by the once popular theory
that Mujib wanted to make Bangladesh into a state of India, in which
case the death sentence was quite appropriate for treason.

>2.  Tribal insurgencies in Assam, Tripura and Nagaland and complaints of
>training camps within BD to train terrorists. Zia-ur-Rahaman acknowledges
>presence of training camps but claims they are used to train Chakmas to
>resist the onslaught from Bagha Siddique's Santi Bahini. However terrorists 
>captured by the Indian Army in the North East speak of elaborate training 
>facilities and weapons and supplies given to them by the BD Rifles.

The complaints go both ways. Bangladesh also blames India for tribal
insurgencies in CHT. The fact remains that both Bangladesh and India
have similar problems with the tribals and they are trying to solve it
in the same way, i.e. by supressing any dissent, and are blaming each
other for its problems.

There are very big reasons for BD mistrust of Indian intentions.

1) Since you raised the issue of the water sharing, it should be noted
that the Indian government never kept their promise of providing the
minimum amount of water they agreed to provide in the dry season. 

2) Tin-Bigha corridor. This corridor was meant to be leased to BD in
exchange of a similar plot of land in another part of the country. BD
kept it's end of the deal which now India calls its own territory.
Only this year has India decided to give the Tin-Bigha land on lease
revokable at any time.

3) Border security hasn't been what it should have been. BSF has
regularly conducted soires into Bangladeshi villages and killed
farmers, took away cows (Of course not to eat since most BSF personnel
are hindus) and on at least one occasion killed two BDR personnel and
kidnapped three.

Despite the fact that BD and India should have been friends there are
many reasons on both sides for tension. One can only hope that they
will be settled and we can live in peace with our neighbour which has
assumed super-power status and doesn't fail to impress it on its
neighbours. 

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| | Saifuddin Ahmed                                                        |
| | sahmed@occs.cs.oberlin.edu                                             |
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