India’s decision to resume tourist visas for Bangladeshi nationals marks the clearest sign yet of a thaw in strained ties, but analysts say the real test will be whether trade links can be rebuilt while Dhaka courts Chinese investment near India’s sensitive eastern flank.
India began accepting tourist visa applications from Bangladeshis on Sunday, nearly two years after services were suspended amid the fallout from violent protests that forced former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina from power and into exile in India.
Relations have improved since Bangladesh’s new government, led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, lifted its own freeze on visa services for Indian nationals in February, even as Hasina’s presence in India remains a source of diplomatic friction.
India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi, who took up the post last month, has been given a cabinet-minister rank, a move analysts say reflects the importance New Delhi places on relations with its neighbour.
“Tourist visits have just opened up and I am sure other things slowly will start as well, such as cross-border trade,” said Sreeradha Datta, a professor of international relations at India’s O.P. Jindal Global University.
She said this boded well for both bilateral trade and Bangladesh’s exports to third countries.
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