Bangladesh: Thank you India (Boom)! Oops!

Year 1971. A feisty Indira Gandhi leads India in a war against Pakistan. The point of contention? Huge humanitarian issue in erstwhile East Pakistan. Massive rush of refugees from Bangladesh into India. War begins. Pakistan suffers a "humiliating" defeat. A new nation is born.

Year 2007. Bomb blasts in Hyderabad - first at Mecca Masjid and then at two popular joints. About 50 dead. Prime suspect: one Mr. Bilal, commander of a Bangladesh based terror group.

Throw in various issues of land encroachment, harboring Ulfa terrorists and of course massive scale smuggling, racketeering, fake notes, prostitution, slavery etc. A smattering of denial of deals to Indian companies. Not much interest in developing economic relations with India.

Meanwhile the new nation has flirted with dictatorship, religious theocracy, military Junta and all other conceivable types of Governments. Don't even talk about the current state of affairs.

Note also the deafening silence of the Indian media about the massive scale human rights violations against minorities in Bangladesh. The only vocal protester, Taslima Nasreen, currently in exile in India, is fast becoming a persona non grata.

These sort of problems arise when a country is unable to identify its citizens by a common trait. Thanks to the Brits and other colonial countries, more than two thirds of the world has become bastardized. The natural historical boundaries of nations have been destroyed. Ethno-religious groups are being forced to cohabit with incompatible groups.

Of course you can't hate them (meaning the Brits and other colonizers). Especially we can't. But for the Brits, we would have a different, perhaps much more unpleasant arrangement.

(Add your favorite cliche involving roses, glasses etc. here.)