United News of Bangladesh

A legal notice has been served to the government urging cancellation of all facilities, including transit and transshipment, granted to India. Supreme Court lawyer Mohammad Azizul Haque served the notice on Thursday. The notice was served to the secretaries to the foreign and finance ministries. Unsettled issues need to be resolved to put ties on solid foundation: Dhaka to Islamabad SC lawyer Azizul said that if the government does not take steps to cancel the transit and transshipment facilities, as well as discriminatory agreements signed with India, a writ petition will be filed in the higher court seeking necessary steps in this regard. He further stated that India has already revoked the transshipment facilities it had given to Bangladesh. Now, the people of Bangladesh also want all facilities granted to India to be withdrawn, he added.

Four Bangladeshi trucks carrying goods were sent back from Benapole Port on Wednesday evening as India revoked the long-standing transshipment facility granted to Bangladesh, which allowed goods to be exported from Bangladesh to third countries via Indian land ports. Rashedul Sajib Nazir, Deputy Director of Benapole Port, said that the Indian government’s cancellation of the transshipment facility led to the Petrapole Customs refusing clearance for third-country goods. “The trucks carrying these goods could not enter India.” He, however, mentioned that the export trade for goods intended for the Indian market is still operating normally. Kartik Chakraborty, General Secretary of the Petrapole Clearing and Forwarding Agents' Staff Welfare Association, said that India’s Ministry of Finance had issued a letter regarding the cancellation of the transshipment facility. India stops transshipment facility for Bangladesh’s export cargo Based on this letter, the entry of goods meant for third countries via Benapole into Petrapole Port was halted. Earlier, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that India has withdrawn the transshipment facility for Bangladesh. "The transshipment facility extended to Bangladesh had over a period of time resulted in significant congestion at our airports and ports,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a media briefing in New Delhi on Wednesday.