Indian media outlets have been continuously spreading misinformation against Bangladesh on topics like human rights violations, CHT, the growth of so-called extremism and persecution of minorities ever since the Hasina regime’s fall in August 5. They have now included the additional subject of Pakistan-Bangladesh’s recent improving ties and bilateral engagement-connectivity-trade prosperity and the potentials for maritime connectivity between the Karachi and Chittagong ports. Notably, the first direct maritime connectivity link between Pakistan and Bangladesh was established on November 11 when a cargo ship from Pakistan’s Karachi port docked at the Chittagong port. Prior to arriving in Chittagong, containers from Pakistan had to go via a third country’s seaports.
By Tanim Jasim
Some analysts and commentators argued that Indian media claims were both inflated and used to further a strategic goal and take focus on the narrow South Asian geopolitics. The alarmist depiction of a Pakistani cargo ship arriving in Bangladesh on November 11 by the Indian media has perhaps gone beyond what is appropriate, propagating that both nations are plotting against India’s interests. Due to their proximity to Bangladesh’s southeast coast, they emphasized that such direct maritime links could potentially cause instability in the north-eastern states. Some misrepresented Bangladesh’s September 29 official gazette notification that all shipments arriving from Pakistan will be released without customs inspection, a practice known as the “National Selectivity Criteria.” They correlated it with the cargo ship without any facts and evidences. Some Indian outlets spread misinformation that the proliferation of so-called extremism and the illegal arms trade would be accelerated in the region and illegal goods would reach to Bangladesh from Pakistan. Under strict police and Muhammad Yunus student activist supervision, the whole 200-container shipment was offloaded and delivered to unidentified destinations.
Shame for these blatant lies! In the Indian media, this kind of manipulation is not new. In a world where false information spreads more quickly than truth, it is imperative to address false narratives head-on, especially as these Indian media propagandas appear to support some groups’ vested geopolitical objective. What therefore accounts for these persistent falsehoods and propaganda?
To further their blatant purpose, the Indian media apparatus continues to try to portray Pakistan as a terrorist nation. In this case, Indian media outlets have some targeted goals: to divert attention from the actual scenario and establish their claims about their so-called national security hype, portraying Bangladesh’s interim government as a catalyst for extremism in the international community; and to assist certain groups in restoring an India-friendly government that can serve their own interests rather than the interests of the Bangladeshi people as a whole. Though in many instances the reaction has been frantic, bordering on schizophrenic, the Indian media’s general reaction to Hasina’s collapse on August 5th has been varied. Anti-Bangladesh (and notably anti-Yunus) attitude has significantly increased in Indian print and electronic media, which might be seen as a targeted Indian response to denigrate Bangladesh’s caretaker government in international community and instigate the policymakers to intensify pressure on Bangladesh. It is a serious Indian hegemonic attitude!
Indian media’s depiction of the situation in Bangladesh and Pakistan is intricately tied to its geopolitical aspirations and jealousy, and goes beyond simple concerns about national security and the growth of so-called terrorism. India wants to establish itself as the regional political hegemony, promote their naked Hindutva campaign, and portray itself as the regional trade hegemony by damaging Bangladesh’s reputation, erecting obstacles between two Muslim-majority nations, and excluding Bangladesh from important interactions and trade engagement with the outside world. Since they consider Pakistan to be their enduring adversary, they also intend to isolate Pakistan on all fronts. However, they now start to oppose Bangladesh’s thriving connections and trade ties with other nations. Their primary focus now is on spreading Hindutva politics and thirst for egregious involvement. But Indian media needs to think twice before reporting that Bangladesh is a full-fledged independent country and it has right to exercise its sovereign foreign policy.
Debunking Indian propaganda vs Real scenario
Because of this, it is now essential to peel back the layers of false information in order to fully comprehend the current state of affairs in Bangladesh. The majority of propaganda claims on the connectivity of the ports between Chittagong and Karachi are false. Propagated by Indian media outlets themselves, the so-called threat perception of Pakistan-Bangladesh links for Northeast India and the spread of extremism is a long-debunked conspiracy theory.
Many local media outlets in Bangladesh reported that Omar Faruk, the secretary of the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA), was quoted as stating that the cargo vessel from Pakistan’s Karachi via Dubai port carried a load of consumer goods and industrial raw materials. Thus, Indian media’s smear campaign is completely untrue and unfounded.
“Importers were starting the customs clearance process for the goods,” he added. He made it apparent how many containers, goods, and customs clearance issues there were. The news has been reported by every media outlet in Bangladesh. Thus, the venomous campaign by Indian media outlets against the maritime link between Bangladesh and Pakistan demonstrates their malign aim.
Companies including X Ceramics, Square Pharmaceuticals, Pacific Jeans, Nasir Float Glass, and Akij Glass imported the goods. According to Md. Omar Faruk, secretary of the Chattogram Port Authority, 18 export firms from Pakistan provided these goods, which weighed 6,337 tons in total. At the New Mooring Container Terminal, the ship unloaded 370 containers, 297 of which were from Karachi and 73 from the United Arab Emirates. Details are provided below.
Therefore, on November 19, at the Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) media center in Chittagong port city, Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury stated, “The media in our country is known for truthful journalism, but the media in the neighboring country is notorious for publishing false and provocative news reports.” He asked reporters to refute the inaccurate information that the media in the neighboring countries had been publishing. “Our port is open to everyone,” the adviser added, referring to allegations from Indian media sites about a Pakistani ship that had arrived in Bangladesh. The berthing of ships from any nation is not prohibited. We are not required to provide exclusive services to any one nation. Dates and onions, two necessities, were carried by the ship that just arrived from Pakistan. False stories regarding this matter are being published by people who are hostile to our nation.”
The link between the Karachi and Chittagong ports has a lot of potential, but Indian media has overstated or distorted it
How a prospective trade and connection may be portrayed in such a manner, given the shady character of the media channels. However, Bangladesh and Pakistan are well situated along the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and Indian Ocean—important shipping lanes that have the potential to spark more extensive regional integration.
The bulk of Pakistan’s $839 million in exports to Bangladesh in 2022 were cotton. Bangladesh’s largest exports to Pakistan, which generated $74 million, were textile fibers, including jute. Raw materials for the clothing industry, including as cotton, salt, sulfur, and equipment, make up the majority of Bangladesh’s imports from Pakistan. Bilateral trade may increase worth at least $2.95 billion to Bangladesh, including food, textiles, chemicals, and agricultural items. Pakistan has the potential to be a significant market for Bangladeshi goods, such as jute and pharmaceuticals.
Bangladesh’s trade imbalance with Pakistan might be closed by this new marine link, which could also open up billion-dollar trade opportunities, particularly in the textile, agricultural, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. Furthermore, this marine network may open the door for more expansive international frameworks that have been dormant because of geopolitical tensions, like SAARC. As stressed at the recent Yunus-Sharif meeting at the UN General Assembly, Bangladesh’s caretaker government is shown a desire to turn a “new page,” which gives Pakistan’s persistent drive for SAARC’s rebirth additional momentum. The creation of economic and trade lanes that are coordinated between Pakistan’s Dhaka rapprochement and Bangladesh’s Look West Policy, as well as the establishment of connections through coastal shipping, are expected to benefit both nations.
Tanim Jasim, Assistant Professor, Department of Bangla, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh