Dhaka, Oct 21: Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Adviser M Touhid Hossain on Tuesday said only one agreement inked with India during the Sheikh Hasina regime has been cancelled, rejecting claims made by another adviser that 10 such bilateral pacts have been terminated.
“A list that has emerged is not correct,” Hossain told a media briefing at the foreign ministry, referring to the list circulated on social media that claimed 10 agreements with India have been cancelled.
Hossain, a former foreign secretary, said that only one agreement – a deal to purchase tugboats from India – has been cancelled. “After assessment, we found the project was not beneficial for Bangladesh,” he told reporters.
The decision to cancel the tugboat procurement deal was taken following mutual understanding between Dhaka and New Delhi, the state-run BSS news agency quoted him as saying.
He also said that the government is currently reviewing the Adani power purchase agreement and some other projects being implemented under India’s Line of Credit.
His comments came a day after local government adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan claimed that the interim government cancelled 10 agreements signed with India during Hasina’s regime.
Hossain declined to comment on Bhuiyan’s remarks, which first appeared on his verified Facebook account on Monday. “I do not want to comment on that remark. Perhaps, he could have avoided doing it. The list that has emerged is not correct,” he said. (PTI)
