To say that the relationship with our neighbours after the fall of the Awami League government and Sheikh Hasina’s departure on August 5 has been less than ideal would be an understatement.
However, as has always been the case, every nation in South Asia benefits when there is mutual understanding and cooperation. The entire region and every nation is poorer when individual members cannot put aside differences that may have been there and work together towards the shared goal of economic development.
To that end, it is extremely positive news to learn that energy sector officials and senior executives of state-run companies of Nepal, India, and Bangladesh recently signed off on a power purchase-and-supply agreement between Nepal and Bangladesh that would deliver electricity via transmission lines in India.
Credit must go to all nations involved here. These are the sorts of agreements that we ought to expect more and more of in South Asia - the kinds that involve multiple nations in the region and provide some sort of benefit for all parties involved.
We can only hope that this is not just a one-off and is a sign of things to come. Bangladesh has little reason to have a frosty relationship with India - doing so only hinders both nations.
With Bhutan and Nepal - landlocked nations which have the potential to export electricity - both poised to have the capacity to export power to Bangladesh through India, we hope that this is the beginning of newfound bilateral agreements in the region, one that begins the process of strengthening the entire region and finally allowing it to reach its full potential as an economic powerhouse.
