Amid the nose-dive in bilateral ties, Bangladesh has cancelled an order worth $21 million (around Rs 180 crore) inked with Kolkata-based defence shipyard Garden Reach Shipbuilding & Engineers (GRSE)
Bangladesh Cancels Defence Contract With India
Amid the nose-dive in bilateral ties, Bangladesh has cancelled an order worth $21 million (around Rs 180 crore) inked with Kolkata-based defence shipyard Garden Reach Shipbuilding & Engineers (GRSE) last year for the construction of an 800-tonne advanced ocean-going tug. The contract, which included design, construction and delivery of a 61-metre-long tug in 24 months, was the first major deal inked under the $500-million line of credit for defence purchases extended by New Delhi to Dhaka that was operationalised in 2023.
The deal for the tug, with the maximum speed with a full load of at least 13 knots, was signed by officials of the Bangladesh Navy’s directorate general of defence purchases and GRSE in Dhaka in July last year. The ouster of the then PM Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh in Aug last year, however, has hit bilateral ties. India had earlier steadily stepped-up military ties with Bangladesh, which incidentally acquired its first-ever diesel-electric submarines from China a few years ago, to counter Beijing’s strategic inroads into the country.
Amid the growing diplomatic friction, India on May 18 imposed significant restrictions on imports of Bangladeshi goods, including ready-made garments and processed food. As per a Directorate General of Foreign Trade notification, no ready-made garments from Bangladesh will be allowed into India through Integrated Check Posts in the northeast — a move that mirrors similar trade curbs imposed by Dhaka last month.
After Army Chief’s Ultimatum, Muhammad Yunus Mulls Resignation
Yunus is mulling resignation as he finds it difficult to work since political parties failed to reach a common ground, student-led National Citizen Party CP party chief Nhid Islam told the BBC Bangla service. “We have been hearing news of sir’s (Yunus) resignation since this morning. So I went to meet sir to discuss that issue . . . He said he is thinking about it. He feels that the situation is such that he cannot work”. The leader, who became a phenomenon in Bangladesh due to Yunus’ blessings, said he told the interim government chief “to stay strong for the sake of the country’s security, and future, and to meet the expectations of the mass uprising”.
