India and Bangladesh Relations: The interim government of Bangladesh can cancel many Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) made with India. There are reports that the interim government led by Mohammad Yunus is preparing to review such agreements, which are not beneficial for Bangladesh. However, so far nothing has been said clearly about any such MoUs from Bangladesh. Apart from this, the interim government has made it clear that if it is legally necessary to bring back former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, then extradition efforts will be made.
According to Bangladeshi media reports, if some of the previously signed agreements are found to be non-beneficial for the country, the interim government can review them or even cancel them. However, there has been no official announcement from the interim government regarding this so far. The Times of India has written, citing several reports, that recently interim Foreign Minister Tauheed Hussain has said that MoUs are not binding agreements and can be amended or even withdrawn.
According to the newspaper, Bangladeshi media reports quoted Hussain as saying after returning from the OIC or Organization of Islamic Cooperation meeting, “MoUs are not agreements. They can always be amended. If the Bangladesh government feels that those MoUs are not of any use, they can always be reviewed.” He said that if the interim government of Bangladesh feels that these MoUs are not in the interest of the country, then they can be reconsidered.
what could be the reason
According to the report, several political experts say that the interim government feels that the Sheikh Hasina administration had close ties with India and may have been forced to take special care of Indian interests while signing MoUs. In June 2024, the Sheikh Hasina administration signed a total of 10 MoUs with India. Of these, 7 were new and 3 were to be renewed.
India-related projects on the radar
There are reports that uncertainties also remain over Indian loans to Bangladesh. The Planning Ministry is reviewing ongoing and proposed projects through Indian Lines of Credits (LOCs). The newspaper quoted a Prothom Alo report as saying that stakeholders of the projects feel that these LoCs are particularly linked to Indian interests. The report mentions the four-lane road from Ashuganj to Akhaura.
India has pledged a total of $7.36 billion in loans through the three LoCs in 2010, 2016 and 2017. According to Bangladeshi media reports, only $1.80 billion has been released so far. A total of 36 projects are underway under the three LoCs.
Bangladesh wants to renegotiate Teesta water sharing treaty
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, advisor on water resources in the interim government of Bangladesh, has said that the government wants to resume talks with India on the Teesta water sharing treaty. She said that the upper riparian and lower riparian countries should follow international principles on water sharing.
Talking to PTI in Dhaka, Hasan expressed confidence that the dispute over the Teesta treaty and other water sharing treaties with India would be resolved amicably through dialogue but suggested that Bangladesh could consider international legal instruments and principles if no agreement could be reached.
In an interview on Sunday, he told PTI-Bhasha, “I have discussed the Teesta water sharing issue with all the concerned parties (in Bangladesh). In the discussion, we came to the conclusion that we need to restart the process and dialogue regarding the Teesta Treaty. We also have to work on the Ganga Treaty, whose term is going to expire in two years.”
He said, ‘Both the parties have agreed and the draft of the Teesta water-sharing treaty is ready. But the agreement could not be signed due to the opposition of the Chief Minister of West Bengal. The fact is that we could not finalise the agreement. So we will start from that point with the draft agreement and urge India to come forward and restart the negotiation process.’
India and Bangladesh were scheduled to sign the Teesta water sharing treaty during then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Dhaka in 2011 but West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee refused to agree to it, citing water shortage in her state.
