New Delhi: Muhammad Yunus’ comments on India’s northeastern states has cost Bangladesh dear.
The Indian government, on Tuesday, revoked the permission granted to Bangladesh to move it’s export cargo to other countries through Indian Land Customs Stations, ports and airports.
Yunus, chief adviser to the interim government in Bangladesh, had described the northeastern part of India as landlocked and urged Beijing to take advantage of this. This was during his recent 4-day visit to China.
“The seven states of India, in the eastern part of India, are called the Seven Sisters. They are a landlocked region of India. They have no way to reach out to the ocean. So this opens up a huge possibility. This could be an extension of the Chinese economy,” Yunus has said in Beijing.
India was certainly not pleased, given China’s existing stance regarding India’s northeastern states, particularly Arunachal Pradesh.
Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar had reacted by saying: “We, after all, have the longest coastline in the Bay of Bengal, of almost 6,500 km. India shares borders with not only the five BIMSTEC members, and connects most of them, but also provides much of the interface between the Indian sub-continent and ASEAN. Our northeastern region, in particular, is emerging as a connectivity hub for the BIMSTEC, with a myriad network of roads, railways, waterways, grids and pipelines.”
On Wednesday, the external affairs ministry confirmed that: “The transhipment facility extended to Bangladesh had over a period of time resulted in significant congestion at our airports and ports. Logistical delays and higher costs were hindering our own exports and creating backlogs. The facility stands withdrawn with effect from April 8, 2025.”
