Army Chief General M M Naravane on Wednesday lauded the people of Bangladesh for standing up for their right to liberty and independence in 1971. He also appreciated Bangladesh’s efforts to deny space to terrorist groups who are trying to carry out subversive activities against India.
In a message played out during an event here on Wednesday to mark 50 years of India-Bangladesh ties, he also asserted that “the historic Land Boundary Agreement” (LBA) between the two countries has shown how an issue related to border can be “resolved with mutual negotiations and a constructive outlook”.
This, at a time when “certain countries” have been trying to “alter the status quo by force, and bypassing traditional rules and protocols, with complete disregard to territorial integrity of others,” Naravane said, without naming any country.
The LBA epitomises the 3Ms — “mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual commitment — to a rules-based order”, the Army chief said. He also said the two countries share an important strategic space in the Indian subcontinent with a land boundary spanning over 4,000 km.
Marking a new high in bilateral ties, India and Bangladesh in 2015 had sealed a historic deal to settle the old land boundary dispute through exchange of territories, removing a major irritant in bilateral ties.
“We are conscious of Bangladesh’s efforts to deny space to terror groups that are carrying out subversive activities against India,” the Army chief said. In turn, India “continues to prevent any terror outfit” from using Indian soil to undermine the interests of Bangladesh, he said.
The event was attended by Bangladesh High Commissioner Muhammad Imran, former Army chief of Bangladesh and 1971 war veteran Lt General (retd) Harun-ar-Rashid, a few 1971 India-Pakistan war veterans from Indian armed forces, and a number of senior defence officials, among others.