An Indian response to Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor, Mohammad Yunus, was unavoidable. During a visit to China, Younus called India’s Northeast ‘Landlock’. Yunse’s comment described Bangladesh’s notion as a patron of access to Indian Northeast through sea routes as the land route went through a narrow corridor. Yunus suggested that this geographical location presents an important opportunity for China, proposing that Bangladesh can serve as an extension of the Chinese economy by making Bangladesh and global markets facilitating production and business activities.
No late-up under stress
What the Indian response and Yunus said and this means that there are important issues in the emerging deadlock between India and Bangladesh. Despite a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Advisor Mohammad Yunus at the Bimstake Summit in Bangkok, there is no late-up in increasing tension between the two countries. The Indian response has been made to abolish the June 2020 initiative, under which India allowed transit to Bangladeshi export cargo through Indian ports and airports through Indian land customs stations. New Delhi Airport is one such important outlet for Bangladesh. This system facilitated smooth trade flow to nations like Bhutan, Nepal, and Myanmar for the export of Bangladesh – especially, in countries where the goods were transferred by land routes.
On 8 April, after the provocation by Younus, India canceled the feature citing significant crowds at its airports and ports. This led to logistic delay for Indian exporters and increased costs. Internationally, this is being interpreted as a reaction that Younus said and meant. Negative effects on Bangladesh’s exports, especially after the 37% tariff imposed by the US, would actually be arbitrary, who thanks to unnatural and unnecessary buccaneering by Younus under the pressure of Jamaat. The leadership of Yunus and Jamaat may be unaware of the fact that India has a major contribution to the development of the apparel industry in Bangladesh – as much as $ 1.20 billion cotton yarn and raw cotton were priced at $ 556.84 million to export to Bangladesh in India in 2023.
Possible Chinese airship
India is also studying a Chinese scheme report to create an airspace in Lalmanirhat district of Bangladesh, with the Eastern border a challenge for the security interests of New Delhi, including the chicken’s neck area, ie the Siliguri Corridor. The region, considered a strategic vulnerability for India, is a piece of region that provides access to all transport and energy arteries in Northeast India, as well as a petroleum pipeline in Nepal. Many power grids cross the narrow region. The north is about 45–50 kilometers away from the strategic magnet Valley, which separates the Indian states of Sikkim and Bhutan, where famous (although something is notorious) exists ‘Triands’. Next to it is Doklam, which every Indian knows so far, thanks to the 72-day long deadlock between Indian and Chinese forces in 2017.
So, is it an airspace to occupy by Bangladesh Air Force? Or, will the Chinese Air Force put its assets here under a strategic partnership agreement? If the assets are deployed here for a double purpose of keeping an eye on the Bay of Bengal (very low probability) and pose a threat to India’s interests, it will cross the arrangements that China is in Pakistan, Poke and Gilgit-Baltistan regions with Pakistan. Therefore, best, this hem India should be seen as a good psychological war in these. Lalmanirhat is just 15 km from the Indo-Bangladesh border. It would not be wrong to expect from the Chinese Air Force that it was to keep assets in such airspace to display a unique approach to defense and strategic cooperation with Bangladesh.
A group of Pakistani trips
Since the end of 2024, the Pakistan Army has been making a Bline for Bangladesh. In January 2025, a high-level ISI delegation led by Major General Shahid Amir Officer visited Dhaka in the decades marking one of the first important busy busyness between ISI and Bangladeshi officials. The agenda probably focused on military and intelligence cooperation, including discussion on the establishment of an intelligence-sharing network between the two countries. The purpose of that phase does not require another analysis. For the first time since 1971, the Pakistan Army is set to train Bangladeshi military personnel. Starting
In February 2025, training sessions were to be held in several cantonment across Bangladesh, which began with one in Mymen Singh, supervised by senior officers of the Pakistan Army.
The Bangladesh army considers itself a professional, and no one else. Its leadership wants to show itself in various United Nations Missions and often, overscreen itself in projection. Why does Pakistani training advisors need to bring such force, it is doubtful. Can they try to establish an intelligence base? As I have always said, India left Bangladesh after defeating and evicting the Pakistan Army in January 1972, but Pakistan never left Bangladesh. It always maintained a shady appearance there. Sheikh Hasina’s government and Awami League cadres ensured that Pakistani Islamism was under control. His government also opposed the notorious strategy of former Pakistan President Zia ul Haq to use Islamism, which to run an anti-India circle around India and within India. Now Hasina has gone and Awami League put herself under severe stress, the ability to revive the Zia scheme seems bigger than ever.
Monster in every corner?
A high-level delegation from Pakistan’s Foreign Office is scheduled to visit Bangladesh this month, which is an important step in reviving bilateral relations, which remain largely passive for more than a decade. Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has been slated to visit Dhaka on the invitation of Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs advisor, MD Tauhid Hussain on 22 April. Similarly, Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Amana Baloch is scheduled to come for a Foreign Secretary-level meeting on 17 April. Travels can be seen as part of efforts to restore old relationships.
Is India looking at the demons in every corner, and are Indian analysts Pakistan and Bangladesh giving what is their strategic value ability? These are relevant questions in front of a clear attempt by the Chief Advisor, a non-reconitively involved chief advisor to target India directly. The entire controversy about the ‘landlocked’ nature of Northeast India was a clear red herring. It was created a week later despite a lot of information after a lot of demand with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The final of the Pakistan-Bengladesh Xinigans is yet to be revealed, as the performance in India has a growing impatience about the intraventh. So far, the Indian response has always been measured and made effective. This is the approach that usually wins strategically strange situations. The government requires appreciation to handle this well.
,The author is a member of the National Disaster Management Authority, Chancellor of the Central University of Kashmir, and the former GOC of the 15 Corps in Srinagar.
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author