However, since then, much has happened in India’s relations with not only Pakistan but also Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan. India’s turnaround on the Rohingya refugee problem — with the humanitarian aspect taking precedence over security issues — ought to have been followed by strategic moves and greater diplomatic activism. Declaring that China believed Myanmar and Bangladesh could “work out a mutually acceptable way to end the crisis”, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi mooted a three-stage solution. The Rohingya crisis provided an opportunity for India to strengthen its bilateral relationship; become a trusted mediator between Bangladesh and Myanmar; and, acquire strategic depth in the region through humanitarian intervention and sustained economic engagement. There is a rich irony that China, under a Communist party dictatorship, should score on human rights (of Rohingya refugees) over India, which is the world’s largest democracy.

Source: dna December 02, 2017 01:48 UTC