NOVANEWS
By Sajjad Shaukat
Famous political thinkers, Hobbes, Machiavelli and Morgenthau opine that in international
politics, rulers act upon immoral activities like deceit, fraud and falsehood which become the
principles of political morality. They follow these tactics in order to obtain the interests of their
countries. But, in case of Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid has been acting upon
these techniques against her own country so as to appease India, while the latter has entrapped
her by exploiting her pro-Indian tilt to fulfill its strategic interests.
It is notable that Hasina Wajid had already directed her staff to close the chapter of water and
border conflicts with New Delhi. Besides, she has given transit trade facilities to India—a move
which has been resisted by the Bangladeshi patriots for the past several decades. In this context,
a writer has rightly said, “Hasina Wajid again started Honey Moon Period of relationship with
In this respect, maritime boundary dispute between India and Bangladesh (BD) in Bay of Bengal
was referred to Permanent Court at Hague. On July 7, 2014, the Court of Arbitration gave its
verdict, awarding 19, 467 square kilometers, out of disputed 25, 602 square kilometers area to
Bangladesh. Law experts and technocrats from both India and Bangladesh contested the case.
Whereas the government of Bangladesh termed the court decision as ‘Triumph of Friendship’,
the opinion builders of the country observed it as ‘Sacrifice of Friendship.”
Sanity prevailed upon loyal Bangladeshis who were driven by their sense of rationality, and
were prompted to hold seminar on the subject. The speakers, while protesting with concerns said
that Bangladesh government failed to project its case before the Arbitration Court at Hague to
get Talpatti, a gas rich island. They also pointed out that government’s weak foreign policy and
ignorance of anti-Bangladesh agents resulted in a staged drama in which their country got one-
third of the bay, while India received two-third of it.
Similarly, the court verdict also decided dispute with Myanmar regarding Saint Martin’s
sovereignty which has been favorable to Dhaka. The court verdict will make Bangladesh to lose
its rights to freely enter into deep sea.
As the Bangladesh government has hidden facts about the verdict so as to please India, but
patriot leaders and people of Bangladesh have been protesting against the government in one
way or the other. In this regard, speakers were of the opinion that the rulers were befooling the
public in Bangladesh by projecting the judgment, as triumph, hiding the real facts. They rejected
the fabricated and deceitful propaganda of the government that Bangladesh got more sea area
As regards the details in relation to the protesters, to sensitize the public in Bangladesh about
reality of the judgment, Liberty Bangladesh organized a seminar in which anti-government and
anti-Indian themes were raised by all participants. The participants also included specialists of
Bangladesh, having strong credentials in maritime border issue which enabled them to express
their candid opinions.
In this connection, ANH Akhter Hossain said, “Bandladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
Wajid is a master of elusive dance. How can Sheikh Hasina receive recognition for her
achievement when Saint Martin’s sovereign status (maintained since 1974) has been diminished?
After losing Talpatti to India, she is telling us that there is no land under the water, and Talpatti
Island does not exist. If you think otherwise, then go ahead and find it. He added, “These lies
will not save the government—the people should take steps to claim Talpatti Island and take the
case to the international court.”
Dr. Sabbir Mostafa Khan stated, “There is no question that we have gained maritime border from
both disputes, but when it comes to arbitration, we always lost. We are incapable of claiming
our rights in the court. We have a tendency to ask for less than what rightfully belongs to us.
Government should move away from false promises and propaganda.” He appealed for the
formation of a committee, comprising experts to take necessary steps.
Abdul Hye Sikder remarked, “Awami League led by Prime Minister Hasina Wajid has been
boasting about the capability of their leadership. I have seen their capability through the court
verdict. Sheikh Mujib surrendered everything to India. Now his daughter, the power hungry
Sheikh Hasina has demonstrated her capability by sacrificing valuable maritime resources to
The former Commodore Shafiq-ur-Rehman pointed out, “A great achievement from India and
Myanmar disputes is that we now have a precise maritime border. This is a step forward. But, the
sad part is that we were mysteriously unable to present strong statements in the court, and lost
Professor Dr. Emajuddin Ahmed said, Government of Hasina Wajid has come to power through
illegal means, and is now floating on lies. By spreading propaganda, they are trying to avoid
their responsibilities. This is a matter of great sadness for a free and sovereign nation. We have
gained maritime border, but have lost Talpatti, as we failed to present our case properly. India
knew about the gas reserved in Talpatti, and laid claims on the island. Bangladesh knowingly
handed over this valuable asset to India. This is betrayal and a case of treason. A lawsuit could
be filed against the government.”
Hafiz Uddin Ahmed sated, “People of Bangladesh are continuously being befooled. They are
being told of triumphs…spreading propaganda to turn countless losses into victories. This will
diplomatically weaken Bangladesh. News is being spread that Bangladesh has received more sea
area than India, but actually India received double than Bangladesh.”
He elaborated, “The government has proved itself as traitor and puppet of India by denying
the existence of Talpatti. Bangladesh made its defeat inevitable by mysteriously denying the
existence of gas enriched Island. One day Sheikh Hasina will have to answer in court for her
While contending the judgment, a key speaker Captain M Rejaul Karim Chowdhury stated,
“Bangladesh claimed that verdict regarding maritime boundary dispute with New Delhi is
the ‘Triumph of Friendship’, but as there has been no verdict regarding South Talpatti, we can
see that the result is ‘Friendship Unresolved.”
He explained, “If Bangladesh gives up Talpatti, then it would be called ‘Sacrifice for
Friendship.’ If truly it is to be called ‘Triumph of Friendship’, then Bangladesh should be able to
claim the 100 trillion cubic feet of natural gas not to be used for corporate India, but instead, it
be used to create an interest-free loaning fund called ‘Green Gas Fund’ for farmers of India and
Captain M Rejaul Karim futher pointed out, “A weak foreign policy and the ignorance of
Bangladesh regime’s agents resulted in a staged drama in which the country received one-third
of the bay. India on the other hand, received two-third of the area. Bangladesh propagated that
the court verdict was a great success in having maritime borders. Actually, they lost the vital
island of Talpatti which is enriched with natural gas. Government of Bangladesh denied that
any gas enriched island like Talpatti existed, and therefore easily lost it to India. This has been
termed as an act of betrayal and treason…one day Sheikh Hasina will be made answerable and
Nevertheless, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been following pro-Indian policies at the
cost of her own country. Therefore, to appease New Delhi, and by giving false statement, her
government has hidden facts about the verdict of maritime border dispute with India.
Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants,
Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations
