Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain has dismissed Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan’s claim that several agreements with India have been cancelled, terming it “incorrect.”
“The list that was published is not correct. Most of the instruments mentioned do not exist. Only one deal with Garden Reach Shipbuilders (GRSE) was cancelled, and that too a long time ago,” Touhid Hossain told reporters at the foreign ministry on Tuesday.
Earlier on Sunday, Asif Mahmud, in a Facebook post from his verified page, claimed that “10 agreements signed during the Hasina government were cancelled, and the rest are under review.” The post drew attention from diplomats, many of whom viewed it as a departure from diplomatic norms and practices.
Touhid clarified that since 8 August last year, only one agreement with India has been cancelled, while a few others are still under review. “We are in the middle of the review process. It would not be appropriate to comment at this stage. Once we sign or cancel any agreement, we will make it public,” he said.
Without naming the youth adviser, he added, “The list was circulated by someone, perhaps an adviser along with a comment. I don’t want to comment on that, but perhaps it would have been better if he had not made that statement.”
When asked whether the issue reflected a lack of coordination within the advisory council, Touhid declined to respond, saying only, “I don’t want to make any comment.”
Clarification
The foreign adviser provided a breakdown of the 14 instruments mentioned in the Facebook post, explaining that some do not exist, some remain valid, and a few are under review.
There are no projects titled the Tripura–Chittagong rail connectivity project, Abhaypur–Akhaura rail expansion project, Bangladesh’s financial assistance proposal for Farakka barrage-related works, or the Sylhet–Silchar connectivity project, he said.
He added that no agreement was signed on the so-called “Petroleum pipeline expansion project.”
There is no project called the Ashuganj–Agartala corridor, but there is one called Ashuganj–Sarail, which is ongoing. Only one component of it has been cancelled, he said.
Touhid clarified that the Feni River water management project does not exist, though there is an MoU on the withdrawal of 1.82 cusecs of water from the Feni River for drinking purposes in India’s Subroom area which remains valid.
Similarly, the “Kushiara River water-sharing project” does not exist, but an MoU signed in 2022 allowing both countries to withdraw water from the river is still in effect.
There is also no project called ‘Road and Waterways Improvement for Port Use’, but the agreement on the use of Chittagong and Mongla ports for the movement of Indian goods remains active, he said.
He confirmed that the process to cancel the Indian Economic Zones at Mirsharai and Mongla is underway. Information relating to the Adani Power agreement, he added, was “more or less correct.”
“The Ganges water-sharing treaty will expire next year, and discussions for renewal will take place in due course. The Teesta water-sharing agreement has not even been signed yet,” he said.
Tripura Killings
Touhid also revealed that Bangladesh has sought an explanation from India over the brutal killing of three Bangladeshi nationals in Tripura.
“We have asked the Indian side to explain why our nationals were killed in Tripura, but New Delhi has not yet responded,” he said.
“We may not agree with the Indian version generally we don’t but we don’t have many options. If the Bangladeshis wanted to harm local villagers and that prompted the villagers to kill them, that would still be a punishable offence under both Indian and Bangladeshi laws. We want a proper investigation into the incident,” he added.
