Why in News?

• A month after the PM of Bangladesh accused Washington DC of seeking to oust her government, the US Secretary of State announced a new visa policy supporting Bangladesh’s goal of holding free, fair and peaceful national elections.
• It could also have an impact on India’s diplomacy with Bangladesh.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• What is the US' New Visa Policy?
• Ongoing Scenario in Bangladesh
• Relations between US and Bangladesh
• Implication of these Developments on India

What is the US' New Visa Policy?

• The new policy, which covers current and former Bangladeshi officials, members of ruling and opposition parties, etc., would restrict issuance of visas to those who undermine the holding of a free and fair elections.
• In clarifications issued soon after the announcement, the US State Department said the actions were not targeted against the Awami League led government.

Ongoing Scenario in Bangladesh:

• Opposition is protesting and demanding that the elections be held under a caretaker government and by a “neutral” Election Commission.
• In her three terms in office, PM’s style of functioning has come to be seen as increasingly authoritarian.
• Her crackdown on former PM Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), citing its links to Islamist parties and alleging corruption at the top, dealt a crippling blow to the Opposition.
• The space for dissent and criticism has shrunk visibly in Bangladesh. Hence, the Bangladesh opposition has welcomed the new policy.

Relations between US and Bangladesh:

• The US is the biggest destination for Bangladesh’s garment exports, and Bangladesh is the third largest exporter of garments to the US after China and Vietnam.
  • As the industry is the backbone of the country’s economic growth, it is seeking a GSP-Plus status with the US and Europe for its readymade garment exports.
  • The EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) gives developing countries a special incentive to pursue sustainable development and good governance, in return for cuts in import duties.
• The US is the top foreign investor in Bangladesh. However, the mutual unhappiness in the US-Bangladesh relationship has been no secret for some years.
• For example, Sheikh Hasina’s recent visit to Washington to mark 50 years of diplomatic ties with the US, included no big ticket meetings.
• The PM of Bangladesh even said in Parliament that the US was seeking regime change in Bangladesh.
• The US government, on the other hand, had conveyed its concern over democratic erosion, and also about the two previous elections in Bangladesh.

Implication of these Developments on India:

• The US position on the Bangladesh elections could complicate India’s diplomacy in Bangladesh.
• New Delhi, wants Sheikh Hasina - a leader who has acted on its security concerns swiftly, back in power in Dhaka
• She is seen as having given away too much - land transit rights to the Northeastern states, a favourable coal power deal to an Adani company, etc., while Bangladesh itself has been awaiting Teesta waters for many years.
• Over the last few years, the US and India were seen as acting in tandem in Bangladesh, especially as their security objectives converged.
• The visa policy is a sign that this may be changing. A post-Afghanistan US seems more open than India to political change in Dhaka.
• For now, India may prefer to keep silent on the linking of the US visa policy in Bangladesh to free and fair elections in the country.