When I attended the year-long Defence Services Staff College course serial DSSC-47 in 1991-92, one of the brightest and most professional course-mates I had was a young Bangladeshi major from the 1st East Bengal Rifles (1 EBR), who had been selected by Dacca to attend the course in Wellington, Tamil Nadu.
During that year, I developed a deep respect for the Bangladeshi military, including the EBR infantry battalions, many of whose soldiers had joined the Mukti Bahini in 1971 to fight the Pakistani Army's brutal genocide in Bangladesh in March that year.
For that reason, and for many others -- including the new relationship of partnership between the Indian and Bangladeshi Armies -- I am happy to see the Bangladeshi military invited to lead the Republic Day Parade in New Delhi on January 26th.
Bangladesh is a valuable and strategic partner and an important neighbour for India. This relationship must be nurtured.
Indeed. But I think some factions in Bangla military are hostile to us. That might be the reason for the occasional irk in border areas between the two military.
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