Former diplomat KP Fabian has urged a shift in how India manages its border with Bangladesh, arguing that hard, physical barriers are the wrong answer to complex cross-border movement. Speaking to ANI, Fabian said border policy should distinguish between everyday economic migration and genuine security threats, rather than adopting a “fortress” mentality.
Fabian noted that migration is largely driven by people seeking better livelihoods. He pointed out that when Bangladesh’s economy under Sheikh Hasina was stronger, cross-border flows fell, underscoring the economic motives behind most movement. While acknowledging there may be a small number of people who come for criminal or terrorist reasons, he emphasized that those problems must be handled separately with targeted measures—rather than by erecting blanket walls.
“These walls, that is a Trump idea. No, it’s not a good idea,” Fabian told ANI, arguing that treating migrants as hostile threats ignores underlying socio-economic drivers and risks producing ineffective, symbolic responses. He advocated managed, differentiated approaches that protect national security without conflating all movement with terrorism.
The comments come amid ongoing discussions in Delhi about repatriation and nationality verification. On May 7, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said remarks by Bangladesh’s foreign minister after the BJP’s West Bengal victory should be seen in the context of repatriation of illegal Bangladeshis from India. Jaiswal stressed that repatriation requires cooperation from Dhaka: India currently has more than 2,860 nationality-verification cases pending with Bangladesh, several of which have been unresolved for over five years.
Jaiswal reiterated India’s position that any foreign national who is in the country illegally must be repatriated according to law, procedure and established bilateral mechanisms. He said India expects Bangladesh to expedite verification so repatriation can proceed smoothly.
Fabian’s central recommendation is that policymakers decouple economic migration from national-security responses. By distinguishing people who cross borders for work or family reasons from those who pose security threats, India can pursue targeted counterterrorism measures while designing humane, practical migration-management and verification processes in cooperation with Bangladesh.
