What message is India sending by cancelling transshipment facility, ran the headline in the English-language Dhaka Tribune newspaper.
The article noted that the cancellation happened just a week after a “positive” meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mohammad Yunus, Bangladesh Chief Interim Adviser.
Yet the Bangladeshi statement following the 40-minute meeting seems to have annoyed Delhi, with media quoting Indian government sources as saying that it was “politically motivated.”
India had taken offense, it seems, to references to ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s extradition to Bangladesh, and that India (meaning Modi) was not negative about it. The paper quoted a former diplomat justifying Dhaka’s reference to Sheikh Hasina.
“Every country has its own constituency. For Bangladesh the return of Sheikh Hasina is important for its constituency. For India minority issues are crucial. It’s almost inevitable that these sensitive issues would be discussed in the meeting.
“But how these are presented externally is also very important. In diplomacy, sensitive and evolving issues should always be communicated to the media with extreme caution.”
Was the former diplomat criticising his own side for briefing the media about Sheikh Hasina and what Modi may have said (or not said)?
Later, Foreign Affairs Adviser Tawfik Husain clariified that “The issue (Hasina) was raised but nothing final was decided. That’s all I can say.”
As for the transshipment facility India cancelled, there does not appear to be any great heartburn over it.
“The facility India has cancelled had little practical impact,” the article claimed quoting unnamed diplomat, “very few goods were actually transported to Nepal or Bhutan under this system. From that perspective, India’s decision won’t significantly harm Bangladesh, and I believe Delhi knows that.”
In other words, Delhi wanted to convey its displeasure but in a manner that would have amounted to no more than a slap on the wrist. Does that suggest Dhaka has got the message and may exercise more caution in the future?
Frankly nobody knows. In the current situation in Dhaka where an interim government is running the show with little clarity about the future, the motives of individuals, factions and political parties are in constant flux, leading to uncertainty all around.
