Bangladesh NCP leader warns against India transit corridor — The Hindu
In Dhaka, National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Nahid Islam warned against the possible creation of a transit corridor for India through Bangladesh. At a rally on October 30, 2026, he also called for a fair renewal of the Ganges water-sharing agreement with India, which expires on December 12, The Hindu reports.
Hundreds of NCP supporters attended the rally. It was primarily organized to demand the resignation of Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Iqbal Hassan Mahmood Tuku over their alleged inability to ensure law and order and overcome gas and electricity shortages.
Statements on the transit corridor
Islam said that the government of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman allegedly seeks to facilitate the creation of an Indian corridor through Bangladesh. The statements came after Rahman's visit to Japan on October 26–29, during which the sides agreed to elevate the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt initiative to a new format of strategic cooperation.
The agreements between Bangladesh and Japan provide for strengthening transport connectivity, preparation for natural disasters and geopolitical risks, the development of public-private partnerships, and cooperation for peace and stability. Japan is also financing, through the JICA agency, the development of the Matarbari deep-sea port in southeastern Bangladesh. Japanese officials had previously described a regional connectivity model intended to link India's northeastern states with the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia through Bangladesh.
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Bangladesh's State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir said that the issue of a third country was not discussed during the prime minister's trip to Japan. According to him, the talks focused on the economic partnership between Dhaka and Tokyo. India also said on October 28 that it intended to strengthen cooperation with Japan, including in initiatives concerning its northeastern states.
Ganges water agreement
Separately, Islam threatened new protests if the Ganges water-sharing agreement is not renewed on terms that would protect Bangladesh's share. The 30-year agreement, signed on December 12, 1996, regulates the sharing of the river's waters near the Farakka Barrage in India's state of West Bengal during the dry season, from January to May.
Bangladesh is seeking a new or revised long-term agreement with a guarantee clause for its share of water during the dry season. India has stated that issues concerning the sharing of the Ganges waters and 54 other shared rivers are discussed in the bilateral Joint Rivers Commission, established in 1972. In September, an Indian Foreign Ministry representative said that technical consultations on the agreement were continuing.
