India has withdrawn the transshipment facility it extended to Bangladesh for exporting various items to the Middle East, Europe and various other countries except Nepal and Bhutan. The move came days after head of Dhaka’s interim government Muhammad Yunus made a controversial statement in China saying India’s northeastern states, which share a nearly 1600-km border with Bangladesh, are landlocked and have no way to reach the ocean except through his country. 

The comments did not go down well in New Delhi. “The transshipment facility extended to Bangladesh had over a period of time resulted in significant congestion at our airports and ports,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. “Logistical delays and higher costs were hindering our own exports and creating backlogs,” he said.