External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Thursday spoke about India’s approach to its neighbours, drawing a clear distinction between “good neighbours” and “bad neighbours” while responding to a question on Bangladesh amid ongoing violence and protests there.
Speaking at an event at IIT Madras in Chennai, Jaishankar made the remarks just two days after visiting Bangladesh to attend the funeral of the country’s first female prime minister, Khaleda Zia. During his visit, he also handed over a condolence letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to BNP acting chairperson Tarique Rahman.
India’s approach to ‘good neighbours’
Explaining New Delhi’s neighbourhood policy, Jaishankar said India’s actions are guided by “common sense” and the spirit of good neighbourliness.
“If you have a neighbour who is good to you, or at least not harmful to you, your natural instinct is to be kind and to help that neighbour,” he said. “If the neighbour has a problem, you would like to contribute in some way. If nothing else, you will say hello, try to build friendships and bonding, and that is what we do as a country.”
He added that whenever there is goodwill, India chooses to invest, help and share. Citing examples, Jaishankar referred to India’s vaccine support during the Covid-19 pandemic, fuel and food assistance during the Ukraine conflict, and the $4 billion aid package extended to Sri Lanka during its financial crisis.
Remarks on ‘bad neighbours’
The external affairs minister also spoke sharply about neighbours who, according to him, continue to engage in terrorism.
“If a neighbour deliberately, persistently and unrepentantly continues with terrorism, then we have the right to protect ourselves,” Jaishankar said, adding that India would exercise that right in whatever manner it deems necessary. “Nobody can tell us what we should or should not do. It is a common sense proposition.”
In an apparent reference to Pakistan and India’s decision last year to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty following the Pahalgam terror attack, Jaishankar said past agreements were based on goodwill and trust.
“But if you have decades of terrorism, there is no good neighbourliness,” he said, adding that benefits flowing from cooperation cannot be expected in the absence of peaceful conduct. “You cannot say, ‘please share water with me,’ but continue terrorism at the same time.”