Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan in 1971 after the Bangladesh Liberation War. The history of the region dates back over 4,000 years and was historically part of Bengal. Bangladesh has a population of over 142 million, making it one of the most densely populated countries. The majority of Bangladeshis are Muslim and speak Bengali. Key industries include agriculture, with rice and fish being important crops and exports, as well as the large garment industry which contributes significantly to GDP and exports. Bangladesh has experienced economic growth rates of around 6% annually in recent decades.

1. Bangladesh
IGPE Assignment
Amritpal Singh Bedi
PGCM4/1404

2. History of Bangladesh
Modern Bangladesh emerged as an independent nation
in 1971 after achieving independence from Pakistan in
the Bangladesh Liberation War. The country constitutes
with the major portion of the ancient and historic region
of Bengal in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent,
where civilization dates back over four millennia, to
the Copper Age. The history of the region is closely inter-
twined with the history of Bengal and the history of India
The borders of modern Bangladesh were established with
the partition of Bengal and India in August 1947, when
the region became East Pakistan as a part of the newly
formed State of Pakistan following the Radcliffe Line.
However, it was separated from West Pakistan by
1,600 km (994 mi) of Indian territory.
Pre-historic Bengal
Many of archeological excavations in Bangladesh re-
vealed evidences of the Northern Black Polished
Ware culture of the Indian Subcontinent (c. 700–200 BC)
which was an Iron Age culture developed beginning
around 700 BC and peaked from c. 500–300 BC, coin-
ciding with the emergence of 16 great states
or mahajanapadas in Northern India, and the subsequent
rise of the Mauryan Empire. The eastern part of ancient
India, covering much of current days Bangladesh was part
of one of such mahajanapadas, the ancient kingdom
of Anga, which flourished in the 6th century BCE
Mahasthangarh, the oldest
archaeological site in Bangla-
desh dating back to 600 BCE
Advent of Islam
Islam made its first appearance in the Bengal region dur-
ing the 7th century AD by Arab Muslim traders
and Sufi missionaries, and the subsequent Muslim conquest
of Bengal in the 12th century lead to the rooting of Islam
across the region. Under the Muslim rulers, Bengal entered
a new era as cities were developed; palaces, forts,
mosques, mausoleums and gardens sprang up; roads and
bridges were constructed; and new trade routes brought
prosperity and a new cultural life.
Portuguese traders & mis-
sionaries were the first Euro-
peans to reach Bengal in
the latter part of the 15th
century. They established
themselves in Chittagong
and Hoogly. In 1632, the Mughal Subahdar of Bengal Kasim Khan
Mashadi expelled the Portuguese in the Battle of Hoogly.
Dutch, French, and British East India Companies and representatives
from Denmark soon followed contact with Bengal.
During Aurangzeb's reign, the local Nawab sold three villages, includ-
ing one then known as Calcutta, to the British. Calcutta was Britain's
first foothold in Bengal and remained a focal point of their economic
activity. The British gradually extended their commercial contacts and
administrative control beyond Calcutta to the rest of Bengal.
Europeans in Bengal
British Rule
The British East India Company gained
official control of Bengal following the
Battle of Plassey in 1757. This was the
first conquest, in a series of engage-
ments that ultimately lead to the expul-
sion of other European competitors.
Bengal Renaissance
The Bengal Renaissance refers to a social
reform movement during the 19th and
early 20th centuries in Bengal during the
period of British rule.
The Bengal renaissance can be said to
have started with Raja Ram Mohan
Roy (1775–1833) and ended with
Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941).
Independence and creation of Pakistan
As the independence movement throughout British-controlled In-
dia began in the late 19th century gained momentum during the
20th century, Bengali politicians played an active role
in Mohandas Gandhi's Congress Party and Mohammad Ali Jin-
nah's Muslim League, exposing the opposing forces of ethnic
and religious nationalism.
Partition of Bengal (1905) divided Bengal Presidency into an
overwhelmingly Hindu west (including present-day Bihar and
Odisha) and a predominantly Muslim east (including Assam).
Dhaka was made the capital of the new province of Eastern
Bengal and Assam.
Constitution: After Bangladesh achieved recognition from major
countries, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman briefly assumed the provi-
sional presidency. He wrote the new constitution of Parliament.

3. Timeline of Bangladesh profile
British colonial rule over India ends. A
largely Muslim state comprising East and
West Pakistan is established, either side of
India. The two provinces are separated
from each other by more than 1,500 km
of Indian territory.
1947
The Awami League, under Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman, wins an overwhelming
election victory in East Pakistan. The govern-
ment in West Pakistan refuses to recognise
the results, leading to rioting. Cyclone hits
East Pakistan - up to 500,000 people are
killed.
1970
The Awami League is established to
campaign for East Pakistan's autonomy
from West Pakistan.
1949
Independence
Sheikh Mujib arrested and taken to West
Pakistan. In exile, Awami League leaders
proclaim the independence of the prov-
ince of East Pakistan on 26th March. The
new country is called Bangladesh.
1971
Sheikh Mujib returns, becomes
prime minister. He begins a programme of
nationalizing key industries in an attempt
to improve living standards, but with little
success
1972
Severe floods devastate much of
the grain crop, leading to an estimated
28,000 deaths. A national state of emer-
gency is declared as political unrest grows.
1974
Sheikh Mujib becomes president of
Bangladesh. The political situation worsens. He
is assassinated in a military coup in August.
Martial law is imposed.
1975
The military ban trade unions.
1976
General Ziaur Rahman assumes
the presidency. Islam is adopted in the con-
stitution
1977
Martial law is lifted follow-
ing elections, which Zia's Bangladesh
National Party (BNP) wins.
1979
Parliamentary and presiden-
tial elections. Ershad elected to a
five-year term. He lifts martial law
and reinstates the constitution
1986
The Ershad era
General Ershad assumes power in
army coup. He suspends the consti-
tution and political parties.
1982
Zia is assassinated during
abortive military coup. He is suc-
ceeded by Abdus Sattar.
1981
State of emergency declared
after opposition demonstrations and
strikes
1987
Ershad steps down following
mass protests.
1990
Ershad convicted and jailed
for corruption and illegal posses-
sion of weapons. Begum Khaleda
Zia, widow of President Zia Rah-
man, becomes prime minister
1991
Awami League returns
Two sets of elections eventually see
the Awami League win power, with
Sheikh Hasina Wajed, the daugh-
ter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,
becoming prime minister.
1996
Ershad is released from prison
1997
Two-thirds of the country dev-
astated by the worst floods ever.
15 former army officers sentenced
to death for involvement in assassi-
nation of President Mujib in 1975
1998 Sheikh Hasina criticises military
regimes in a UN speech, prompting
Pakistani leader General Musharraf
to cancel talks with her.
2000
High Court confirms death
sentences on 12 ex-army officers
for killing Mujib. Only four are in
custody.
2001
Hasina steps down, hands
power to caretaker authority, be-
coming the first prime minister in
the country's history to complete a
five-year term
2001
Sheikh Hasina is charged with
murder. Begum Khaleda Zia is under
virtual house arrest. Several other poli-
ticians are held in an anti-corruption
drive
2007
Awami League captures more
than 250 of 300 seats in parliament.
Sheikh Hasina is sworn in as prime
minister in January
2008

4. The population of Bangladesh as of
15 March 2011 is 142.3 million
(census 2011 result) and is the 8th
most populous nation in the world. In
1951, the population was 44 million.
It is also the most densely populated
large country in the world.
The population is relatively young, with 34% aged 15 or younger
and 5% 65 or older. Despite the rapid economic growth, about
26% of the country still lives below
the international poverty line which means living
on less than $1.25 per day. About 89% of Bang-
ladeshis are Muslims, followed by Hindus (8%),
Buddhists (1%) and Christians (0.5%).
4 largest cities of Bangladesh
DHAKA
Population: 7,033,076
Language & Religion
More than 98% of Bangladeshis speak Bengali as their native language,
which is also the official language. English is also used as a second lan-
guage among the middle and upper classes and is also widely used in
higher education and the legal system. Bangladesh's Constitution and all
laws are now in both English and Bengali.
Islam is the largest religion of Bangladesh, making up 86.6% of popula-
tion. Hinduism makes up 12.1% of the population, Buddhism1% and
others of 0.3% of the population. Bangladesh has the fourth largest
Muslim population after Indonesia, Pakistan and India.
Buddha Dhatu Zadi, a Budadhist
temple in Bandarban
Baitul Mukarram National
Mosque of Bangldesh in Dhaka
Rice and fish are traditional favourites. Biryani is a favourite dish of Bang-
ladesh and this includes egg biryani, mutton biryani and beef biryani.
Bengaladeshi cuisine is known for its subtle (yet sometimes fiery) flavours,
and its huge spread of confectioneries and desserts. Bangladeshis make
distinctive sweetmeats from milk products, some common ones
are Rôshogolla, Rasmalai, Rôshomalai, chômchôm and kalojam.
Textiles and Craftsmanship
The Sari is the most widely worn dress by
Bangladeshi women. A guild of weavers in
Dhaka is renowned for producing saris from
exquisite Jamdani muslin. The salwar
kameez (shaloar kamiz) is also quite popular,
especially among the younger females, and in
urban areas some women wear western attire
Festivals
The Muslim holidays of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha,
the Bengali New Year, Independence day, Victory
Day, the Hindu festivals of Durga Puja and Krishna
Janmashtami, the Buddhist festival of Buddha Purni-
ma, which marks the birth of Gautama Buddha,
and Christmas, called Borodin (" the Great day"),
are national holidays in Bangladesh and see the
most widespread celebrations in the country
Literature
Bengali has a rich literary heritage. The earliest literary text in Bengali is
the 8th century Charyapada. Medieval Bengali literature was often either
religious (for example, Chandidas), or adapted from other languages (for
example, Alaol). Bengali literature reached its full expression in the 19th
century, with its greatest icons being poets, the national poet Kazi Nazrul
Islam, Rabindranath Tagore, Sarat Chandra, Jasim Uddin, Jibanananda
Das, Shamsur Rahman, Al Mahmud, Sukanta Bhattacharya, Ishwar
Chandra Vidyasagar, Michael Madhusudan Dutt and present
day Humayun Ahmed, Muhammed Zafar Iqbal.
Cuisine
CHITTAGONG
Population: 2,592,439
KHULNA
Population: 663,342
NARAYANGANJ
Population: 543,090

5. CHITTAGONG
India Bangladesh
India Bangladesh
Economy - overview India is developing into an open-market
economy . Economic liberalization measures,
including industrial deregulation, privatiza-
tion of state-owned enterprises, and reduced
controls on foreign trade and investment, be-
gan in the early 1990s and served to acceler-
ate the country's growth, which averaged un-
der 7% per year from 1997 to 2011. In late
2012, the Indian Government announced ad-
ditional reforms and deficit reduction
measures, including allowing higher levels of
foreign participation in direct investment in
the economy. Growth in 2013 fell to a dec-
ade low, as India's economic leaders strug-
gled to improve the country's wide fiscal and
current account deficits.
Bangladesh's economy has grown roughly
6% per year since 1996 despite political
instability, poor infrastructure, corruption,
insufficient power supplies, and the 2008-
09 global financial crisis and recession.
Garment exports, the backbone of Bangla-
desh’s industrial sector and 80% of total
exports, surpassed $21 billion last year,
18% of GDP. Steady garment export
growth combined with remittances from
overseas Bangladeshis, which totaled al-
most $15 billion and 13% of GDP IN
2013, are the largest contributors to Bang-
ladesh’s current account surplus and record
foreign exchange holdings.
Exports $301.90 billion $24.92 billion
GDP $1.84 trillion $115.61 billion
Per capita $2,625.09 per capita $1,384.53 per capita
PPP $4.72 trillion $302.80 billion
Gross National Income $477.00 billion $48.62 billion
Population below
poverty line
29.8% 40%
Unemployment rate 8.5% 5%
Inflation rate 9.7% 6.6%
Human Development
Index
0.602 0.52
India Bangladesh
Exports per capita $244.12 $161.09
Industries textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel,
transportation equipment, cement, mining,
petroleum, machinery, software, pharmaceuti-
cals
jute, cotton, garments, paper, leather, iron
and steel, cement, petroleum products,
drugs and pharmaceuticals, ceramics, tea,
salt, sugar, fabricated metal products,
electricity and natural gas
GINI index 36.8 33.4
GNP Per capita $450.21 $360.85
Imports $503.50 billion $32.29 billion
Imports per capita $407.14 $208.73
Poverty and inequality 5.6 4.9
Current account bal-
ance
$ 91,470,000,000.00 $1.75 billion
Tax rates 14.31 10.96
Consumer price index 121.54% 130.16%
Consumer spending 57.31 77.49
Population under $1 a
day
44.2% 29.1%
Real interest rate 6.03% 8.49%
Government spending 98.9 billion 4.48 billion
Population 1.252 billion 156.6 million
Literacy Rate 74.4% (82.1%-male, 65.5%-female) 57.5% (62%-male, 53.4%-female)
Currency Indian Rupee Taka

6. Since its independence in 1971, Bangladesh has achieved a tre-
mendous growth rate in its industrial production. The economy
comprises of a number of Small and Medium Enterprises that
make up for 25% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product
Some Key Parameters:
 Between 2004 and 2014, Bangladesh averaged a GDP growth rate of 6% .
 The Bangladesh textile industry is the second-largest in the world
 Other key sectors include pharmaceuticals, shipbuilding, ceramics, leather goods
and electronics.
 The principal cash crops including rice, jute, tea, wheat, cotton and sugarcane.
 Bangladesh ranks fifth in the global production of fish and seafood
Some Notable Conglomerates
Major Industries:
cement, steel, consumer goods, tobacco,
edible oil, etc.
Revenue:
$36.6 Billion
Major Industries:
Textiles, aviation, cement, steel, real
estate, insurance and banking.
Revenue:
$425 Million
Bangladesh Industry Sectors: Major Industries
1. Agriculture:
Approximately 30% of Bangla-
desh’s GDP comes from agriculture,
making it the largest producing
economic sector. About 60% of the
Bangladeshis work in this sector. It
primarily produces jute, rive, wheat, tea, tobacco, pulses and
Tomato.
2. Infrastructure:
Bangladesh’s economy is character-
ized by poor infrastructure, weak
energy and gas shortages. Due to
these disruptions, the economy was
unable to achieve its target of 6%
growth in GDP in FY2009. Low en-
thusiasm among the people towards
investment is also impeding the country’s economic growth.
3. Garment Industry:
The garment industry of the country
remains the strongest root of its econo-
my, with 76% contribution in its for-
eign exchange. Approximately, 2.2
million Bangladeshis are employed in
this industry, of which 80% are women. In
FY2007, a total of US$9.2 billion worth of garments were export-
ed. The figure reached US$12.3 billion in FY09, as was ex-
4. Health Industry:
It has been envisaged that the sale of
over-the-counter (OTC) medications and
prescription drugs will increase to
US$3.44billion in 2019, from
US$1.13bn in 2009. According to a
forecast by the Business Monitor Interna-
tional (BMI), exports will overtake imports, reaching
US$226.75million.

7. Being located in between Indian mainland and its reveling seven
sister states Bangladesh's strategic importance for Indian has
been very crucial to communicate by less spending. Besides
being almost inside India having a small mouth to bay of bangal
it has also become an attraction for USA and China sometime to
deter India to maintain regional strategy.
Location of Bangladesh
With an area of about 144,000 sq km, the country is bordered by
India on the east, west and north and by the Bay of Bengal on the
south. There is also a small strip of frontier with Burma on the south-
eastern edge. The land is a deltaic plain with a network of numerous
rivers and canals. Through Myanmar( Burma )Bangladesh is linked to
the entire South East Asian region
Neighbors of Bangladesh
India and Myanmar are the immediate neighbors of Bangladesh with
common borders. The land border with Myanmar is about 243 kilome-
ters while that India extended over 4,025 kilometers. Among the
near neighbors of Bangladesh though without common borders, The
nearest are Nepal (distance 13.7 miles/22km), Bhutan (distance 13.7
miles /22km) and China (distance 60 miles or 100km).
Geo political Weakness and its impacts of Foreign policy:
Truly Bangladesh is clearly locked by India both in land and water except a little
border with Myanmar. Geopolitics may be a disadvantage when a country
shares common border mostly with one country.
Bangladesh’s nearness of border with India may appear as a weakness
in her defense against any future military conflict with India. Common
sharing of Rivers also appears as a weakness for Bangladesh because the
flow of water which depends of the source of the rivers.
Geo political importance of Bangladesh for other countries:
 Not only India has interest over the geopolitical location of
Bangladesh. But also courtiers like Nepal, Bhutan, China, and
USA and even courtiers like Japan and Australia are showing
their interest considering the geo political importance of Bang-
ladesh.
 Nepal and Bhutan being land locked and not having sea access
very much interested to use Bangladeshis sea ports to foster
their trade.
 As china has competing relationship with India always seeks op-
portunities to contain India geostratagically where Bangladesh
becomes one of the perfect positions to her intention.
 Though USA has its biggest naval base in Andaman Nicober is-
lands its intend to use chittagong Sea ports to strengthen its
strategic position in the south Asia considering the importance
of the region in World politics.

8. Bangladesh and India are part of the Indian
subcontinent. They are common members
of SAARC, BIMSTEC, IORA and the Common-
wealth. Relations are rooted in deep historical
and cultural links. In particular, Bangladesh
and the Indian states of West Ben-
gal and Tripura share the Bengali language.
The two nations were strong allies during
the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.
However, they developed different Cold
Warpositions in the late 1970s and 80s.
Bangladesh and India are close strategic partners in counter-terrorism. They are the largest
trading partners in South Asia. Two-way trade is estimated to be over USD 7 billion. Bangla-
desh is also the fifth largest remittance sender to India. India has a high commission in Dhaka,
with consulates in Chittagong and Rajshahi. Bangladesh has a high commission in New Delhi,
with consulates in Mumbai andKolkata.
Border killings of Bangladeshi civilians
Deaths of Bangladeshi citizens in the Indo-Bangladesh border became one
of the embarrassments between the two nation’s bilateral relations in
recent years. The so-called ‘shoot-to-kill’ policy by the India’s Border Secu-
rity Forces (BSF) that according to Human Rights Watch killed nearly
1,000 Bangladeshis between 2001 and 2011 has remained at the core
of the talks between Bangladeshi and Indian officials visiting each other
While anger grew in Bangladesh because of the continued BSF shoot-
ings and subsequent deaths, Indian
officials argue that heightened security has followed the in-
creasing flow of illegal migrations into India as well as continued misuse
of the border by illicit traders.
The Bangladeshi deaths caused by BSF shootings at the border became
subject to a so-called cyber war between the hackers of the two coun-
tries the cyber attacks on Indian websites
Recent Developments:
 In September 2011, the two countries signed a major accord on border demarcation to
end the 4-decade old disputes over boundaries
 On 9 October 2011, Indian and Bangladeshi armies participated in Sampriti-II (Unity-II), a
14-day-long Joint military exercise at Sylhet to increase synergy between their forces
 In 2012, Bangladesh allowed India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation to ferry heavy ma-
chinery, turbines and cargo through Ashuganj for Palatana Power project in south-
ernTripura
 From October 2013, India started exporting 500 MW of electricity a day to Bangladesh
over a period of 35 years