Only one India deal scrapped: Touhid

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said on Tuesday that only one of agreements signed with India during the previous Sheikh Hasina administration had been cancelled, rejecting claims by another government adviser that 10 such deals had been scrapped.

Speaking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he said the only cancelled agreement was related to the supply of tugboats by Indian defence contractor Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), and that the cancellation was made "with the consent of both parties."

"Reports claiming the cancellation of 10 agreements and projects with India are incorrect," he said, while declining to comment on why Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain had posted otherwise on Facebook.

"A list has been circulated, apparently by one of the advisers. Perhaps he could have avoided doing that," he added.

Mr Hossain said many of the projects mentioned in Mr Bhuyain's post "do not actually exist."

However, he confirmed that one more project, involving the establishment of an export processing zone (EPZ) in Mongla under India's line of credit, was currently under review and might be cancelled.

The adviser also noted that the interim government was reviewing several bilateral agreements signed with India in recent years to ensure they aligned with Bangladesh's present priorities.

Mr Bhuyain, in a post on his verified Facebook page, recently claimed that 10 agreements and projects signed during the Hasina government had already been cancelled, while others were "under consideration."

He also published what he said was a list of the cancelled and pending deals.

When asked about the list, Mr Hossain said that "most of the projects cited by Mr Asif actually do not exist."

Earlier on Monday, he had told The Financial Express that he would respond to the Facebook post the following day.

At Tuesday's briefing, Mr Hossain also addressed several other issues.

Responding to a question about a letter from international human rights organisations to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, he said the government could not accept all the recommendations but would "certainly address all legitimate human rights concerns as much as possible."

mirmostafiz@yahoo.com