The India-Bangladesh bilateral partnership under the new government in Dhaka formed following the departure of New Delhi's former ally Sheikh Hasina would not undergo a sea change, Bangladeshi experts have told Sputnik India.
Radical shifts in Bangladesh-India relations under the interim government in the neighboring sovereign state are unlikely to happen, Dr. Shariful Islam, a professor of international relations at the University of Rajshahi in Bangladesh, believes.
"The interim government will try to maintain balanced relations with all, including India. In fact, better India-Bangladesh relations impact many across borders, which should be kept in mind in both New Delhi and Dhaka. However, many people in Bangladesh are anti-Indian which needs to be realised and taken care of by New Delhi by deepening ties with people rather than regimes," Islam told Sputnik India on Monday.
Moreover, due to the short period of the interim government in Bangladesh, the huge improvements in military cooperation with other countries, including India, is barely predicted, the academic reckoned.
"Nonetheless, maintaining good maritime security cooperation with India and other littoral countries is important for the security of Bangladesh's sea trade and commerce," Islam noted.
On the other hand, the initial turbulence of the post-Hasina change was natural and would cool shortly after the interim government was firmly in the grip of affairs in Bangladesh, the state's Army veteran Brigadier General (Retd) Jaglul Ahmed stated.
"Though an increasing number of attacks on minorities, especially Hindus have taken place, there is no minority in the religious sense in Bangladesh and hence, the interim government will ensure the protection of every single citizen beyond his/her religious identity," Ahmed said in a conversation with Sputnik India.
Earlier, Hindus, who form at least 8% of Bangladesh's population of over 170 million, have faced a series of alleged atrocities at the hands of Islamist groups that have run amok in the country adjoining the Bay of Bengal since Hasina's government fell last Monday.
Hasina, the daughter of the country's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was widely perceived as a secular leader: under her reign Bangladeshi minorities, including Hindus, felt safe and even gained prominent positions in the government.
Besides, over the years, Zia has supported anti-India groups to flourish in the Islamic sovereign state and often India-Bangladesh relations have nosedived under her rule.
Despite all this, Ahmed is optimistic about the Bangladesh-India ties moving north under the new regime.
"I think it's the best possible time for the Bangladesh-India bilateral relationship because ties were never weak between the people of the two nations. Both countries must adjust to the new reality, and benefit from each other rather than exploit the fault lines. Cooperation should be the goal not competition," the ex-Bangladesh military officer concluded.