India has made a departure from its traditional policy of generosity pursued towards refugees and other stateless people in the ongoing Rohingya crisis emanating from its eastern neighbour Myanmar. It is believed that New Delhi has backed the authorities in Myanmar to pursue the strategic Act East policy and ensure that rival China doesn't get an upper hand in its neighbourhood for Myanmar is a key country as far as Beijing's goal of deepening its influence in South Asia is concerned. India's decision on the Rohingyas is more determined by a strategic compulsion if not by an ideological reason.
But while India has decided not to entertain the Rohingyas despite criticism from the international body and various human rights platforms, another of its eastern neighbour Bangladesh, which also shares a border with Myanmar, has taken quite a bold and balanced stance on the issue. On the one hand, it has opened its border for the Rohingyas despite its own heavy population with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina saying that her government would not fail in feeding the refugees that have come in. The country has received a global applause for its decision – something which will only add to its growing stature in the global community. Bangladesh, through this humanitarian gesture, will be able to strengthen its diplomatic capacity to pursue more nationalistic goals.
PM Hasina, however, did not also forget to request the Myanmar government to stop the atrocities while also sternly reiterating that Dhaka would take steps to ensure that Naypitaw takes its nationals back.
The Hasina government's balanced stand on the issue certainly has a lot for India to learn from. Being the largest democracy in the world and a country which has traditionally believed in universal brotherhood and is home to refugees from various countries, New Delhi needed to put forward a more balanced policy when it came to the Rohingyas who it had welcomed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. But didn't New Delhi really have any other option?
It is true that taking a strong dig at Naypitaw could have jeopardised New Delhi's Act East policy but like Bangladesh, India could have played its cards wisely to force Myanmar honour its humanitarian responsibility.
India had handled a similar refugee crisis in 1971 with success
The Indian policy-makers needed to have kept in mind that it was a similar refugee crisis caused by atrocities by the soldiers of erstwhile West Pakistan that had eventually led to the creation of Bangladesh on its eastern border in 1971.
Islamabad had the backing of big powers like the US and China but yet could not succeed in demolishing the agitating East Pakistanis: the reason being the humanitarian problem. Taking an empathetic stand on issues enhances a country's foreign policy power by adding to it the aspect of morality. In the current Rohingya crisis, too, India would have won global praise by backing the refugees and Myanmar might not have had much room to hit back at New Delhi because the international pressure would have been massive.
Taking a compassionate stance on Rohingyas would have helped India's global quest
The Myanmar refugee crisis would also have helped India's quest to achieve a bigger clout in international politics as a responsible power, thereby making its voice to gain a permanent chair in the Security Council stronger.
The Modi administration should have used the opportunity to engage more with the United Nations and prove it to the world that it is never ready to give up a humanitarian cause no matter what's its implications are for its strategic interests. Had India spoken out strongly on the matter, even China would not have dared much to resist it. Beijing has just come out of the Doklam standoff with India and is having a serious headache over North Korea. It would desist from creating more anti-voices over its handling of things in matters related to yet another neighbour.
The move to put pressure on Myanmar through international institutions and diplomatic avenues would have helped India to put a check on the oppressive regime with the former having little or no chance to retaliate since the international opinion has gone against it.
The pressure would have forced Naypyitaw to restore peace and stability in the Rakhine state so that the Kaladan Multi-modal Transit Transport Project which is crucial for developing the infrastructure in the northeast is not affected adversely for long. It was through this pressure tactic that India had humiliated Pakistan in the 1971 war and achieved a major strategic victory through creation of Bangladesh. The Rohingya crisis might not be less sinister in magnitude but it is nevertheless a humanitarian problem and India needs to take full advantage of it to its favour.
India and Dhaka could have worked closely on the matter
Also, had India taken a sympathetic stance vis-a-vis the Rohingyas, it would have brought New Delhi closer to Dhaka in jointly condemning Naypyitaw (even Pakistan has condemned the atrocities) and in this way, New Delhi would have fancied a South Asian harmony on a humanitarian crisis, potentially curbing China's ambition in the region.
New Delhi should not give up the goodwill image it has earned over the years on issues related to humanity and make easy opportunities for emerging countries like Bangladesh to try to fill in its shoes. At the moment, the Centre's calculations seem to be black and white as it finds a pro-Rohingyas policy synonymous with Myanmar's tilting towards China.
