Why not a visa-free regime at the India-Bangladesh border?
onsidering the current height of bilateral relations, India and Bangladesh can elevate their rapport by first allowing the e-visa arrangement for citizens of both countries and then gradually moving towards a visa-free regime
Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen once stated that he is looking forward to the day when Bangladeshis and Indians will not need visas to visit each other's countries.
"Our relationship is written in blood and we want to deepen it. I am waiting for the day when people from both countries can travel without visas," he mentioned this last year during a session commemorating Bangladesh and India's 50 years of diplomatic connection.
But is it really possible to set up a visa-free regime at the India-Bangladesh border? Or is it just a dream? Let us look into the facts.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Firstly, according to the 'India Tourism Statistics at a Glance 2021' report, Bangladesh accounted for 23.6 percent of overall foreign tourist visits in India. In India's 28 international airports and five cruise terminals, citizens from 171 countries could apply for e-visas. Unfortunately, that list does not include Bangladesh.
E-visa services are provided online, and an Electronic Travel Authorisation is issued on time under the plan. E-visas are processed - in roughly 90 percent of cases - within 24 hours of submitting the application.
In response to a query in Parliament, the Indian Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said that e-visas are granted to nationals of various countries after security, inbound tourism, investments, bilateral relations, and other factors are considered.
Considering the current height of Indo-Bangladesh bilateral relations, the two countries can elevate their rapport by first allowing the e-visa arrangement for citizens of both countries and then gradually moving towards a visa-free regime.
Secondly, another example that can be taken into consideration is the case of the Indo-Myanmar border arrangement. The Indo-Myanmar border has an agreement called the Free Movement Regime (FMR) in place.
India has a 1,643-kilometre border with Myanmar, and the FMR is unique in many ways since it allows individuals residing within 16 kilometres of the border to travel freely. They can stay for up to 72 hours if they have valid and effective permits from the relevant authorities on both sides.
While the FMR has assisted the local tribes in maintaining their long-standing links, it has also evolved into a system in which community-level contacts between citizens of the two countries have helped diminish unlawful trespassing along the border.
If a free movement regime is set up between India and Bangladesh, this could be particularly beneficial for India's North-Eastern states. The North-East borderland is characterised by high mountains, deep river channels, and dense forest.
As a result of the difficult terrain, the border area remains sparsely populated and economically disadvantaged. An FMR arrangement, particularly along the hill bound Indo-Bangladesh border, can help facilitate communications as well as upgrade the living standard of the people in these regions. Furthermore, new visa regulations will significantly improve trade relations between North-East India and Bangladesh.
Finally, due to obvious security concerns between India and Bangladesh at the border areas, it won't be possible to implement visa-free access for citizens of both countries immediately.
But it can be implemented in phases. Bangladesh's former High Commissioner to India Syed Muazzem Ali once stated that the first step towards implementing a visa-free regime between the two countries is to allow citizens over the age of 65 to travel without a visa, or promptly provide a visa that would be valid for at least five years.
Patients and minor children will benefit from such an arrangement. And gradually this facility will be extended towards citizens of other age groups as well.
South Asia constitutes almost one-fifth of the world's population. But the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the only multilateral arrangement that links the countries of the region.
In 2018, the SAARC's Core Group on Immigration Authorities and Visa Expert proposed to simplify the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme and develop security software for use throughout the region. But due to the global Covid surge that initiation remains thwarted to date.
In 2021, a special committee was formed by India and Bangladesh to focus on the reforms required to put the no-visa policy into effect.
Authorities from both countries have reiterated several times that implementation of such an arrangement is very much possible. But due to impending security reasons, it might take even up to 10 years for a full swing implementation of a visa-free regime between the two countries.
Anup Sinha is a researcher and freelance columnist specialising in South Asian Affairs with particular focus on the Rohingya issue, India-Bangladesh relations, water sharing etc. He has an MSS degree in International Relations from the University of Dhaka.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.
