Bangladesh suspends internet agreement with India

The interim government of Bangladesh has terminated its internet bandwidth transit agreement with India.

As per the details, the internet regulator in Bangladesh terminated the deal to use Bangladesh as a transit point for providing bandwidth to India’s northeastern states.

The Bangladeshi Ministry of Telecommunications stated that the agreement was canceled due to its lack of economic benefits.

This move is expected to slow down internet connectivity in India’s northeastern states. The agreement aimed to enhance digital connectivity in the remote areas of the northeastern region.

The development comes amid efforts to ease tensions between the two countries following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed in Bangladesh this August.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Dhaka on Monday, where he held meetings with Bangladesh’s interim government head Mohammad Yunus and his counterpart, Shahidul Haque.

Also read: India’s top diplomat to visit Bangladesh as tensions fester

Hasina’s iron-fisted rule was strongly backed by India and the 77-year-old remains in New Delhi where she took refuge after her ouster, despite Bangladesh announcing it would seek her extradition.

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who is leading an interim government tasked with implementing democratic reforms, has condemned acts of “Indian aggression” that he alleged were intended to destabilise his administration.

Yunus, 84, faced numerous criminal proceedings during Hasina’s regime that her critics say were concocted to sideline one of her potential rivals.

He has been a vocal critic of India for backing Hasina’s rule to the hilt despite the mounting rights abuses seen over her 15-year tenure.

India for its part has accused Bangladesh of failing to adequately protect its minority Hindu community from reprisals.

The arrest of a prominent Hindu priest in Bangladesh on sedition charges last month further added to tensions, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing supporters urging his government to take a more hardline stance on Dhaka.