New Delhi, September 2026 — In a major diplomatic shift, the Bangladesh government has announced a comprehensive review of over 100 bilateral agreements signed with India. What was once heralded as a golden era of cooperation under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is now facing intense scrutiny, with Dhaka threatening to cancel or modify pacts it deems contrary to its national interests.
A Strategic Reset or Political Posturing? The announcement was sparked by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) Chief Whip, Nurul Islam Moni, who confirmed that the government is re-evaluating numerous Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs). This diplomatic flex follows a recent dispute where Bangladesh’s leadership skipped the BRICS summit after feeling slighted by New Delhi’s invitation terms.
The new regime, aiming to aggressively distance itself from Hasina’s legacy, is pushing for an “independent” and diversified foreign policy. By putting these treaties on notice, the BNP is signaling to its domestic audience that it will not bow to foreign pressure, while quietly keeping diplomatic doors open with nations like China and Pakistan.
The Port Controversy: Chattogram and Mongla At the heart of the dispute is a crucial 2018 transit agreement granting India access to the Chattogram (Chittagong) and Mongla ports. For India, these ports are vital logistical lifelines. They allow the rapid transit of goods directly into landlocked northeastern states—such as Tripura, Assam, and Meghalaya—bypassing the highly congested and strategically vulnerable Siliguri Corridor, often called the “Chicken’s Neck.”
However, BNP leaders argue these port agreements were heavily skewed in New Delhi’s favor. They allege that Indian vessels receive preferential docking treatment, a bitter pill for Dhaka since Bangladesh continues to pay interest on the Indian loans that were used to build the port infrastructure in the first place.
The Sheikh Hasina Factor The shadow of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina looms large over this friction. Following a massive political upheaval in August 2024, Hasina fled to India, where she remains in exile. The current BNP-led government is aggressively demanding her extradition to face trial for past political crimes—a demand that puts New Delhi in a deeply uncomfortable diplomatic bind and stalls bilateral trust.
India’s Leverage: Power and Money While Bangladesh asserts its sovereign right to cancel pacts, India holds massive economic bargaining chips. Bangladesh is heavily reliant on Indian electricity, importing over 1,160 megawatts of power to keep its grid running. Furthermore, India remains one of Bangladesh’s largest trading partners and has extended massive infrastructure lifelines, including an $8 billion line of credit.
Bottom Line The era of seamless India-Bangladesh cooperation is facing its toughest stress test in years. While Dhaka’s threat to tear up the Hasina-era rulebook serves as a powerful domestic political tool, the geopolitical reality is far more complicated. If Bangladesh pulls the plug on port access, India’s northeastern logistics will take a hit—but Dhaka risks alienating an economic giant that currently powers its homes and funds its infrastructure.
